Every Rose Has Its Thorn
by MWrite
Summary: Sam Evans is moving to Lima. This is a very detailed look into his first year at McKinley after his transfer, and how he discovered Glee club when they sang Empire State of Mind. Samcedes based, some canon some AU. Not friendly to other ships with Sam/Mercedes. More chapters to come! ** I don't own anything. Full disclaimer to Glee owners**
1. Which Direction?

AU: Sam Evans backstory. Samcedes eventually + extended beyond the finale(not gonna say AU because they ARE endgame). Starting from the first episode of Season 2, up until Saccades endgame.

Scenes included in this chapter: Sam using lemon juice to lighten his hair, his first day at McKinley, discovering the Glee club when they performed Empire State of Mind in the courtyard, thoughts of Mercedes, singing Every Rose has its Thorn in the shower, introducing himself to Finn, Mike, Puck and Artie, duet with Quinn.

* * *

 ** _Prologue_**

 _He really couldn't believe what had happened. His whole life seemingly planned out. Graduate from an all boys boarding school, give himself mad props for doing so and avoiding all of the drama of high school girlfriends in the process, maybe pick up a few along the way for fun. Simple. He knew he owed it to his parents for being such hard workers. They deserved to have a kid who, despite his dyslexia, would gain a scholarship for some prestigious school and get the hell out of Tennessee. The only thing he wanted to do, was make something for himself. He wanted to make them proud._

 _Despite his best efforts in his boarding school, he never really grew attached to guys. I mean lets face it— he was into girls. Who seemingly never ever were around his all boys school (who knew). To his pleasant surprise, his father was offered an even higher paying job in this little town called Lima. He didn't know where Ohio was, or why it offered more money… but he was eager for the change. Packing everything they have and moving into that big house his mom had always dreamed of, his first day at McKinley high school was quickly approaching. He was excited—no, **determined** to make something for himself at this place._

* * *

 ** _Two Weeks_**

He had two weeks until school started. He looked into the mirror shaking the lemon juice bottle he snagged from the corner store on the road-trip to Ohio. He swore he wasn't going to use it, but he bought it "just in case." He eyed himself, emeralds glistening in the intense afternoon sun shining through his bathroom window, and noticed the dullness of his once bright blond hair. There's no way he would stand out with this mop. Careful consideration thrown out the window, he did three large sprays of lemon juice onto his head with no regrets. Running his fingers through the damp mess he just created, he smiled into the mirror and clicked his tongue pointing guns at the mirror and fake shooting. It looked… like nothing had changed besides his hair was wet and sticky. He read that it might need to be activated by the sun, so despite better judgement, again, he decided to lounge outside while the sun was at its brightest.

Finding a large beach towel, he made his way down the stairs and out the back door, grabbing two books on the summer reading list he received in the mail from McKinley earlier that day. He decided to choose the easiest two, considering he was still struggling to read a single sentence without messing it up. He found a promising plot of untouched grass that was directly in the sun, spreading his towel out and sprawling on his stomach to get started on one of the books.

Two pages in and he stifled a large yawn, "Wow, good job Evans. Two whole pages." he thought to himself. All of the sleep he had thought he would catch up on in this small town quickly evaporated into thin air when he was called to babysitting duties almost every night while his parents were busy at work. They never knew just how much more work it would be to keep up with this big house, but they didn't mind. Now that Stevie and Stacey began attending a 2 week long summer camp leading up to their first day of school, he had so much free time to himself. He thought that it'd be best trying to read these books, but he quickly gave up on that idea not 10 minutes after beginning. "Who really needs this crap anyways?" He looked sideways at the title, but it seemed like.. gibberish. (A Midsummers Night Dream by Shakespeare). "Pretty sure that guys dead anyways. There's not even any mention of the beach or ice-cream like usual summers are full of." He muffled into the book.

He dramatically flipped to the end of the book, trying to see if skipping ahead would do him better so he could see how it all ended. Again, he stifled a yawn and tossed the book to the side before even finishing the long release of air from his lungs. Shaking his head, he flipped over and tossed onto his back. "No way in hell am I going to read that." He sighed while closing his eyes.

If anything, the sun was bright enough to wrap him up like a large blanket, engulfing all his thoughts and melting his worries. He could at least enjoy this until he had to pick up Stevie and Stacey. He reached for his phone and set an alarm to thirty minutes before the time their camp is dismissed. "Just in case." he mumbled fighting the urge to just pass out on the soft blanket. He was bad at fighting, and decided to give into sleep.

* * *

He woke up to the pitch black night sky, gasping and flailing for his phone at the sudden realization the sun was gone and the moon was now staring him in the face—taunting him. He jumped to his feet, not caring about the blanket or the books and ran into the house, begging and pleading this was just some huge daylight savings leap forward and he really hadn't missed his alarm to pick up his siblings.

He pried the back door open and shuffled inside, hurrying to grab his keys to his truck and a pair of shoes he could slip on easily as he ran out the door. Flying past the kitchen he heard laughter erupting and the smell of food cooking on the stove-top. He skidded to a halt and slowly walked backwards to see that his siblings were home— Stacey seated on the lap of his mother and his dad cooking dinner with the help of Stevie. "Hey sleepyhead, woah…." his mother abruptly stopped in the middle of her sentence. Her mouth agape, no words or sound coming out. She motioned for her head, pointing towards her hair a few times until Sam took the hint and reached up for his and felt a stiff crunch. Mother-fucking shit. He ran to the nearest mirror in his hallway, and noticed his hair was no longer dull. He let out a _long_ groan, feeling his stiff, sun-damaged hair barely move to his touch. It was so crisp. He definitely was not going to have a problem standing out, for he was now a bright shining lemon head with noticeably treated hair. "This was already looking to be a very, very promising sophomore year"… he thought sarcastically.

* * *

 _ **Day One**_

He set about three alarms before going to sleep the night before his first day at McKinley. No way in hell was he repeating what had happened a few weeks ago. The lemon incident. He had managed to smooth out the damage and seemingly "neutralize" the bright yellow the sun had turned his hair into. It almost looked natural. Almost. Surely no one would notice.

He gazed at his mirror, settling for a navy sweatshirt with yellow stripes on the arms, jeans with some old retro Nikes. A classic look, and way better than a uniform he was forced to wear at his old school. He had hoped that he would be able to someday pair his ensemble with a letterman jacket—some day soon. He didn't want to freak himself out, but his entire plan for a scholarship rode on the wings of the title "Quarterback". He would get it, he had to.

Giving his hair another comb through, he sighed and grabbed his book bag, ignoring the books he was supposed to read over the summer. "Books schmooks," he mumbled trying to hide the nervousness that was now riding in his stomach like a hurricane. This was his chance, this one day, to make an impression great enough for his entire future. He nearly tripped running down the stairs, and shouting out a "Bye!" to his family sitting down for breakfast. He couldn't even look at the food or wait for a response, but glided out the door instead. He would eat after the storm inside of him decided it wasn't going to make him puke.

Climbing into his pickup he thought of two things he wanted to achieve today. Set up a time to talk to the football coach about joining the team, and possibly scope out some of the eye-candy McKinley had to offer. He wasn't picky about his women, considering he never _had_ women, but he did know that he liked a good smile and brown eyes. He looked down at his hands on the wheel, not noticing he hadn't even started his car yet. This was going to be his year— he repeated to himself on the drive to McKinley just a few short minutes from his house. He was insanely early, but he wanted to scope out the already formed football team during their early morning practice.

Despite it being freaking August, the McKinley campus seemed as cold as a Tennessee October. He had no idea when or why this had happened, but he was visibly shaking sitting in his truck that was seemingly fine a few minutes before rolling into the parking lot. With barely two cars in sight, he had his choice of parking at the main entrance of the building. Probably a choice spot, but he opted for a spot near the back trying not to draw too much attention to his beat up old pickup. He loved his car, it kept him humble, but damn was it ugly. Not the first thing a new kid wants to be noticed for.

Cranking the heat up in his cab, he counted down the minutes until the practice was supposed to start on the large football field that was now staring him in the face. He saw a few cars draw into the lot, and every single one of them had on a jersey or a letterman jacket. They all parked the closest to the field, which was a far way from am just as he had planned. He eyed out the competition before decidedly turning off the heat in his car now that the temperature was normalizing. The crisp morning air he pulled into to was now fading into an almost humid, but nice, average temperature. He took one last look at himself in his rear-view mirror and smiled a large toothy smile with his huge lips. "You can do this Evans. It's show-time."

* * *

Sam's first day at McKinley could not have gone better so far. He talked to the new coach, named Coach Beiste (apparently this wasn't a joke but just a huge coincidence considering she was way taller than him and had more bulk than the entire team) and was all set to begin for the McKinley Titans this year. No try out was even necessary, since they were short team-mates for this season. He was beyond excited, and there was absolutely nothing that could bring him down. He decided to sit with a new guy at lunch that he had met earlier that day. He didn't know his name or care, but he wasn't friends enough with his new team-mates that he'd risk trying to sit with them on the first day. He sat with only a soda, still too worked up on nerves— no, more like excitement now, to keep anything down. He was enjoying the mild day the sun turned the afternoon into, and prayed his hair didn't try any funny business. He opted for the shaded side of the table.

It was a weird feeling. He suddenly felt the ground shake a little, along with the table he sat next to, and the bench he sat on. He suddenly scanned every fact of Ohio he had (tried) to jam into his head before moving here. Did this damn place have earthquakes? He couldn't remember, but he tried to keep his cool since no one else even seemed to notice. He felt stupid when he suddenly heard a bass line kick in and turned to see a boombox a few tables over was the culprit. He exasperated and thanked God, because he wasn't ready for earthquakes to be a thing in his life.

The familiar beat ran through him, and he suddenly felt a tinge of jealousy for the kids dancing along all in matching outfits. "Who are those people?" he asked himself, and was pulled into a state of panic when a voice besides him answered, "That's the Glee club. They're totally gay." He stifled a quick chuckle to hide the embarrassment for his thought coming out. Shit, I have to _not_ let my thoughts slip like that. He tried to keep himself preoccupied with his hands and to stop the tapping of his foot, but it wasn't long before he was trying to steal peaks at the kids who were now jumping up on tables. This was something he definitely wasn't used to at his old school.

A chorus of girls sang in harmony, along with some of the guys, a familiar song that hadn't come out too long ago.

 _Bah, bah bah bah, bah, bah, bah bah bah_

 _Bum bum bum_

 _Bah, bah bah bah, bah, bah, bah bah bah_

 _Bum bum Bum!_

A shorter guy, stunted by a wheelchair began the first few lines of Empire State of Mind, "Surprisingly a great rapper for a white dude" Sam thought to himself, resting the urge to bob his head with it.

 _Yeah,_

 _Yeah I'm up in Brooklyn, now I'm down in Tribeca_

 _Right next to DeNiro, but I'll be hood forever_

 _I'm the new Sinatra and since I made it here_

 _I can make it anywhere, yeah, they love me everywhere_

Shocked, he tried to keep his mouth closed as he noticed the big, burly Quarterback of the football team was now starting the next lines… and he was totally awesome.

 _I used to cop in Harlem, all of my Dominicanos_

 _Right there up on Broadway, brought me back to that McDonald's_

 _Took it to my stash spot: 560 State Street_

 _Catch me in the kitchen like the Simmons whippin' pastry_

Yet another member of the football team came descending down a flight of stairs behind Sam, who quickly whipped around to see he was joined by a short, beautiful girl wearing a snapback who was hitting the most amazing harmonies as the mohawked punk carried on with the song

 _8 million stories, out there in the naked_

 _City it's a pity, half of y'all won't make it_

 _Me, I got a plug Special Ed "I Got It Made"_

 _If Jeezy's payin' LeBron, I'm payin' Dwyane Wade_

 _Three dice Cee-lo, three Card Molly_

 _Labor Day Parade, rest in peace Bob Marley_

 _(J)igga, I be spiked out, I could trip a referee_

 _Tell by my attitude that I'm most definitely from…._

Sam tried desperately to hide his amazement at the bridge, where all of the kids then harmonized together in a synchronized dance in the center of the courtyard. He looked around, trying not to be obvious, but wondering why the hell no one was paying attention but him and another girl he didn't know.

As a group of the girls made their way up on the concrete stairs, the beautiful one began to sing the next few lines, immediately nailing the notes with riffs on the end that were so flawless he couldn't help but grin as wide as his mouth would allow (which was far!).

 _One hand in the air for the big city_

 _Street lights, big dreams, all lookin' pretty_

 _No place in the world that could compare_

 _Put your lighters in the air_

 _Everybody say "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah"_

Then they magically joined together again, somehow nailing each note while dancing. It was the most incredible thing he had ever seen. Suddenly looking around, for once this entire day just letting himself go and relaxing even the tiniest bit, let his foot tap to it's fullest (even though he wanted to get up and join them). His mouth suddenly formed the biggest grin when the tall Quarterback met his eye line, even through sunglasses he could tell, and smiled back at him without missing a beat.

Sam's chest tightened immediately, coming to the realization this was the first time he had noticed how kind his smile was. He really did seem like a genuine guy, and really well rounded too considering he was the start of football and the lead in such an awesome club.

 _New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of_

 _There's nothin' you can't do_

 _Now you're in New York_

 _These streets will make you feel brand new_

 _The lights will inspire you_

 _Let's hear it for New York, New York,_

 _New York_

 _Bah, bah bah bah, bah, bah bah bah_

 _bum bum bum_

 _bah bah bah, bah, bah, bah bah bah_

They finished off as amazing as they started, all coming back together and sitting proudly in the middle of the stairs. He wanted to get up and scream Encore! Knowing that might harm his reputation, he settled for silently nodding and looking each and every Glee club member in the face with a smile and excited eyes, although they didn't notice his silent praise.

He was suddenly disheartened to notice with the ring of the school bell, lunch was suddenly over and the glee kids were alone with no cheers or claps. That whole performance they were just ignored, and the look of disappointment on their face showed. He wanted to badly to say something, but the courtyard was clearing quickly and he didn't want to be stuck around long enough to be associated with the glee kids.

They were amazingly talented, but it seemed they had no reputation at this school— not even one enough to cause a reaction after a performance like that. He wasn't sure exactly why they weren't greeted with the same reaction he had for them, he only knew that it wasn't in his best interest to be involved.

The remainder of his first day, Sam Evans was running off of the buzz that performance at lunch gave him. At fourth period, he ran into a sweet girl, Quinn, who was also a member of the Glee club and in the Cheerios. She seemed very popular, and had kind eyes when she welcomed him to McKinley. It wasn't long before Sam was wondering if there could be something between them, although he was hoping to run into others from Glee club before making such a huge decision. She was obviously pretty, but seemed to have a serious history.

He was filled in via McKinley's semi-famous Jewish reporter who posted web blogs and videos on the McKinley gossip that circulates. He wasn't sure how, but Quinn had a baby not too long ago by the mohawked team member of his who was also in Glee club. She was thin and way too young, but he wasn't one to judge. That just wasn't for him.

On the way to fifth period, he walked past a short Asian girl with pretty hair and stand-out clothing wheeling the white rapper down the hallway. He pushed his thin glasses up on his nose and gave Sam a slight nod. Maybe he did notice Sam's praise at the end of their lunchtime performance. He half-smiled and nodded his way to be polite, doing the same to the girl pushing him who didn't seem to notice Sam. She seemed to have a lot going on in her mind, but she did have nice dance moves. Sam noted that he was sure the kid in the wheelchair does too along with his rapping skills. Sam thought about this to himself as he maneuvered through the crowded hallway. He wasn't too sure where he was going, but he surely wasn't going to be focused on his next two classes.

* * *

The clock struck 1:30 marking the free period he has between classes. He took the remainder of time before his next class to shower, considering it had been a long day and he didn't want to stink too bad during his first practice after school. He pulled out a map of McKinley halls, seemingly ancient and unchanged according to the signs in the halls. Finally making his way to the locker room, he was alone, thankfully.

He could not get the Glee club out of his mind. He was a huge music fan, but not of the performance kind. He sure as hell could rock an acoustic guitar and karaoke nights at his house— but never the way those kids could own a song. He looked in the long mirror at his reflection, his hair still looking okay as he left it that morning, but his noticeably flustered face was another question. Did he want to join the Glee club?

He sat on a bench in his towel patiently waiting for the hot water to kick in. He liked the soothing sound of it after this muddled up mess of a day. He had a goal: to make it on the football team and he did just that. He wasn't too sure about why he wasn't giddy— but he knew it had to do with the Glee club. He knew he wanted to be a part of it so bad it burned, but was he good enough? Would they seriously consider him to be good enough, while he can't even read sheet music? He shook his head in frustration trying to think of something else. He looked through his iPod to find a good shower song to jam to. Alternative? Pop? Country? He smirked at the thought of shouting out Garth Brooks in a locker room in Ohio. He quickly skipped past it and settled for a classic. He sat his iPod up on the dock, turning the volume down low enough so that the instruments were audible but not so much the singing. Testing the waters to his shower, the water seemed fine enough. He dropped his towel and grabbed his soap prepared to give the tiles a performance they'd never forget.

It started off with that beat he could never forget. Smirking and blowing a kiss to his imaginary crowd, he suddenly whipped his hair and grabbed the soap bar like a microphone and gave it his all.

 _We both lie silently still_

 _In the dead of the night_

 _Although we both lie close together_

 _We feel miles apart inside_

 _Was it something I said or something I did_

 _Did my words not come out right_

 _Though I tried not to hurt you_

 _Though I tried_

 _But I guess that's why they say_

{He flips his hair our of his face, a Bieber move he's not too proud to admit to anyone else that he's obsessed with. }

 _Every rose has its thorn!_

 _Just like every night has it's dawn!_

 _Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song_

 _Every rose has its thorn_

Belting out those lines made him feel like a badass. Almost as badass as those Glee club kids. "…But they do that in front of real people Sam!" He reminded himself in his head. "No way I could do that." He grimaced at his soggy hands and quickly turned off the water. "It's nice to pretend, sometimes, that my name could be in lights. Maybe." He snickered and grabbed his towel, walking past the sign up sheet for Glee club he hadn't noticed before he got into the shower, and shook his head again at the idea of him singing in front of a crowd of people.

* * *

He slumped from the locker room, his hair already dry from the moderate day that had started off so cold. He sighed and looked around, completely forgetting how to navigate to his locker from that point. He shuffled past the library, into the bathrooms to check his hair again, past the trophy case where he admired all of the school's athletics trophies—finally stumbling across his locker. He opened it up unknowingly, considering he didn't need anything from it. He just stood there trying to keep track of which classes he would have next, considering he wasn't very good at reading his schedule he taped to the front of the door. He heard the familiar squeak of a wheelchairs tires, and looked up to see the Quarterback wheeling the wheelchair kid from Glee club. His face was calm on the surface but he was in full panic mode on the inside. Trying hard to remain cool, his big team mate shouted "Hey Sam!", plucking the last nerve from his body and sending him into ultimate freak out internally. The wheel-chair kid must have told him about their glances in the hallways and they took it the wrong way. There was no way in hell Sam Evans was joining their club.

Before Sam could react on the outside, Finn grabbed his limp hand and gave it a sturdy shake. "My names' Finn, and this here is Artie." Artie silently waved with a kind smile looking up at Sam, obviously put off by Finn's sudden introduction to him.

Sam stammered, trying not to break the cool facade he had going. "I-I know who you are." Sam smiled trying not to tip Finn off to his obvious lie. "You're the-the Quarterback." He smiled again, hoping to God his face wasn't completely flushed.

Finn ignored his obvious stammering and moved onto the point he was obviously there to make, "Exactly." He said matter-of-factly. "Which makes me very cool. We'd like to talk to you about Glee club." He said with no pause whatsoever. Yup. Okay Evans. It is officially time to panic. Sam's fake smile grew wider and suddenly all of his suspicions came whirling around in his stomach. Thank the Lord he hadn't eaten lunch. He was so conflicted— for one, he had Finn on his side and the other cool mohawk guy, and Artie seemed nice too. Sure it probably wouldn't be good for his image, but Finn was right in from of him! Was he going to say no?

Finn did not wait for a response but instead settled for a "follow me" hand gesture. Sam wasn't sure where they were going, but he was honestly excited. Without pause, they were off to some new location Sam had probably never been to. He tried to take note of the route in which Finn was taking him, because every hallway honestly looked the same. He cursed himself for putting his map back in his locker. "No turning back now, Evans" Sam muttered so low only he could hear it. He couldn't wipe the smile off of his face if he tried.

Finn led him for a good two minutes until they reached the most well lit room Sam had seen thus far. There were stairs stacked with chairs, large glitter crusted amps and a whole band set along with a grand piano. This was one of the most awesome classrooms he had seen, and wondered what went on in here. On two other chairs set up front and center, sat the mohawk football team mate who he had seen briefly before that day. Sat next to him was another football player who he saw once, but didn't know the name of. Finn sat down next to the unknown football player and Artie rode beside him to form a row of four eyes all on him. He gulped loudly and suddenly grew flustered he forgot his chapstick at a time like this.

Once they were all settled, Finn turned to Sam to ask a simple but daunting question: "So Sam, tell us about yourself." He said, a look of kindness on his face as usual.

Sam swallowed and did not let off a feeling of nerve, but was relaxed even. He didn't feel pressured suddenly, because Finn was just that nice of a person. Sam smiled slightly before speaking, "My names' Sam Evans. I like comic books," the unknown footballer nodded his head "sports, I'm dyslexic so my grades aren't that good buuut—, Sam stammered because the mohawked guy was looking at him like he was speaking a foreign language. He tried to look past that and continued, "I'm working on it." He said with a sudden nod, suddenly self conscious as to what he was doing wrong to be gawked at. There was a brief pause until suddenly a gruff voice arose and it came from the punk mohawked figure. "Dude, your mouth is huge. How many tennis balls can you fit in there?"

Sam was taken aback by the sly remark, yes, his mouth was big. He wasn't so much made fun of it as reminded of it. He decided to be snarky back as a knee-jerk reaction. His brows suddenly furrowed and his green eyes got darker as they narrowed in on the character. "I don't—know—-I've never had any balls in my mouth…. Have you?" He said it suddenly and quickly, but didn't regret it for once. The character did not respond but just went back to staring into space as if Sam was from another planet.

After a few seconds the character gave him a smile, not knowing if it was sarcastic or not, Sam chose to ignore it. Finn suddenly leaned over to Artie to whisper something, but miserably failed with his loud voice. A look of wonder bemused his face, saying "I like this kid." Artie leaned over no longer trying to keep the secret Finn failed to start. He looked at Sam and nodded in agreement, "I like his confidence." Sam stood proudly looking at Artie, feeling accomplished. Up until he added "…But the Bieber cut has gotta go". Sam tried to hold back the eye-roll he felt festering within him. Instead he just stood awkwardly trying to process what exactly they had brought him here for.

The mohawk spoke again, loudly, trying to break the tension. "So can you sing with that big mouth?"

Sam stifled and tried to remain calm with his response. Before he could object, Finn was at his side handing him a guitar and Artie was rolling to his other side. Same quickly tried to get out, "Uhhh I don't really sing in front of other people." Finn didn't buy it for a second, just like Sam knew he wouldn't. "Come on, we can help you out. What songs do you know?"

Sam paused for a quick second before stifling out a response, "Uhhhhh… Billionaire?" He asked as a question more than an answer. Finn smirked at him and made his way to the drum-set in the corner.

"Well, it's worth a shot," Sam said silently to himself while smirking at the ground, then placing his fingers for his first live performance in front of these four strangers. He felt oddly calm.

He started to play as he sang,

 _I wanna be a billionaire so freakin' bad_

 _Buy all of the things I never had_

 _I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine_

 _Smiling next to Oprah and the Queen_

 _Oh every time I close my eyes_

 _I see my name in shining lights_

 _Yeah, a different city every night oh right_

 _I swear the world better prepare_

 _For when I'm a billionaire_

As Sam and the mohawk played on guitar, Finn suddenly starting pounding out a spot on drum beat. The other unknown football player was dancing with moves so smooth, it was like he was a professional. Before Sam could skip over it, Artie began to rap in his signature way.

 _Yeah I would have a show like Oprah_

 _I would be the host of, everyday Christmas_

 _Give Artie a wish list_

 _I'd probably pull an Angelina and Brad Pitt_

 _And adopt a bunch of babies that ain't never had—it_

 _Give away a few Mercedes like here lady have this_

 _And last but not least grant somebody their last wish_

 _It's been a couple months that I've been single so_

 _You can call me Artie Claus minus the Ho Ho_

 _Get it, hehe, I'd probably visit where Katrina hit_

 _And damn sure do a lot more than FEMA did_

 _Yeah can't forget about me stupid_

 _Everywhere I go Im'ma have my own theme music_

Sam started up suddenly again, not even resisting his huge smile

 _Oh every time I close my eyes_

 _I see my name in shining lights_

 _A different city every night oh right_

 _I swear the world better prepare_

 _For when I'm a billionaire_

The entire group harmonized on the last verses

 _Oh ooh oh ooh for when I'm a billionaire_

 _Oh ooh oh ooh for when I'm a billionaire_

Finn looked as if he had stars in his eyes when they finished their own jam session, and Sam had never felt more alive. His title as Quarterback surely wasn't holding Finn back from being in Glee club. Why should it stop him? Finn then quickly asked when he can come back to audition for their leader, who was named Mr. Will Schuester. Sam quickly agreed to whenever they would allow him, with a big smile.

* * *

First fic ever, and looking for feedback. I really wanted to go into detail about what Sam was feeling at McKinley when he first joined. There is much more to come!

**Keep in mind, this will become a Samcedes fic in later chapters. Be warned it isn't friendly if you ship Sam/Mercedes with anyone else but each other.**


	2. An Encounter

AN: A fluffy Samcedes meet. Including the purchase of Quinn's promise ring Sam gives to her in season two. Also including the scene where Quinn helps out Sam. Meh!

Note: I don't own Glee or its' characters. (obvi)

* * *

 _ **Day Three**_

Notably one of the most insane, although it was his first, practices of All. Time. Sam could not believe the trouble that Finn Hudson had gone through to get his friend to join the football team. What the hell was the issue with it? Sure, Sam had agreed with Bieste at the time… but silently he lamented his guilt. He just agreed so that he could become the quarterback. There's no way that he would usually do that, but he decided it was for his own best interest.

Taking Finn's spot as Quarterback gnawed at Sam like no other thing ever has. Sure he was sort of competitive, but this just wasn't him. Finn was honestly, genuinely trying to help one of his Glee club friends with a dream of theirs. Did Sam honestly forget about the fact he had his own dream? Surely not. But who was he becoming to achieve it?

It made no sense to Sam why he would want this after seeing the look on Finn's face when he got kicked off. He wasn't told yet who would be replacing him, but Coach Beiste pulled him aside to tell Sam the "good news" before anyone else found out. His heart swelled— for a moment. Then crippling reality came.

He came to the conclusion a brave face will do, for now. There's no need for Finn to hate him. He'll understand… hopefully. It was all so confusing. Clearly he's never given a shit about his classmates before… but these people were different. Not the shitheads that ran around the school, but specifically the Glee club. They were the good kind of different. They stuck together, and unlike the football team they could be of any capability, size or shape. He was frankly, embarrassed to be a part of a team that was so egotistical they wouldn't consider letting a handicapped student on.

But— it was high school, right?

* * *

Sam knew exactly why all of this was happening. It was too much perfect. He had already made friends, made the team, and found something fun for him to do when he wasn't focusing on his dreams. With all of this going on, something bad was bound to happen.

Walking down the hallway to his next class, he felt the something bad slam against him with a powerful force. He tried to move, but he couldn't. He felt so embarrassed for something he didn't even do, and yet suddenly he was the one with a red face and nothing but ice trickling down his neck. He felt a slight pull and he was in the girls bathroom a moment after, or so it seemed. He finally snapped out of his daze to see Quinn, a girl he met briefly with once or two times, mumbling about slushies while trying to clean his face. He wasn't fully listening until she mentioned the movie Avatar, which he embarrassingly knew the entire made-up language from.

His green eyes grew wide, smiling into hers and confessing, "I've seen that movie six times." He was so proud to admit it to a fellow fan, until she looked at him confused. She muttered "Oh." and he stood there chuckling to himself to hide his embarrassment. He stumbled again, slipping out "Lor manari," sweetly trying to charm his way out of the embarrassing thing he just said. She stopped wiping his face and suddenly looked down, confused. He reassured her, "It means you have pretty eyes, in Na'vi." He tried to stifle and hide his smile, but he wanted her to know he was being nice. She still looked at him like he had spoken in three tongues. "The avatar language." He stopped smiling suddenly and took the towel from her hands gently as she rolled her eyes at him. Is this girl serious? He was unsure why, but Quinn gave him a bad vibe. He was being genuine, and she was very annoyed with him. He reassured himself she was just having a bad day, and he cleaned up himself as she stood there for what he assumed was moral support, while texting some other person.

So Sam Evans had survived his first slushie attack with the help of Quinn. For some reason, it made him feel as though they would be good together. He pondered it, not too long before he changed his mind, that he wanted her to be his **first** girlfriend. She was popular, she said she saw Avatar, and she was newly single. It seemed like a good match, sort of.

* * *

 ** _Day Sixteen_**

It was a hard few weeks being the Quarterback of a team who obviously had no idea who you are. Finn was a natural born leader, and honestly, Sam sucked at it. It was obvious that his potential destiny was pointing him somewhere else in life. But where to?

Would Sam honestly change his course yet again for a destiny he was unsure about? There's one thing he knew: He loved to sing. He had never felt more at home than with a guitar singing with those three Glee kids. Although it was a test to see how well he would do, something he almost always failed, he passed with flying colors. Without those Glee kids pushing him onto the stage, what would he be doing with his time now besides sneaking guitar breaks between classes and singing when he's not even showering. Sam liked the musical side to him, almost like it was a piece that was missing from his puzzle of a life.

Trying to put together all the variables and options of high school is the hardest thing Sam has ever had to do. He even considered making a pros and cons list (but didn't, obviously). He felt like he had no direction without New Directions.

Sam had many doubts about Glee club, even after the Billionaire jam session with Puck, Mike, Finn and Artie. He came to his senses, not too long after the whole ordeal of Finn getting kicked from the team, which he still felt a tinge of regret for every time he thinks about it. No way in hell was he staying a Quarterback the entire year.

* * *

This was the Glee meeting that was supposed to change everything. Everyone was performing their duet assignments and he was paired with Kurt.

When it came time for the duets he saw a fiery Latina by the name of Santana Lopez was paired with the girl he remembered singing beautifully during Empire State of Mind, who he found out was named Mercedes Jones. She had a killer vocal range and as soon as he saw her, he knew she was special. He didn't know much about her, but he knew Quinn was great friends with her and she even was there when she delivered Beth, her daughter.

He was excited to hear her sing again, and this time there was only one other voice with her.

As he walked hand into the choir room, Santana and Mercedes were standing up in center stage warming their vocal chords. Sam flashed her a quick smile which she returned, and then after nodded at Santana. Because she kind of scares him if he's perfectly honest. He tries not to make eye contact. He sat down with Quinn at the top row ready to see what they served. And if he was being honest with himself, there's no way he could top the vocals of Mercedes.

When they started their rendition of River Deep Mountain High, the entire room was dancing. After the first chorus, the drum-line began. Santana and Mercedes then began to… shake. those. things. Although he was with Quinn now, his head jerked suddenly, inadvertently, accidentally to see this happening. Quinn was too busy laughing to notice, which he thanked God for.

And Sam got chills when Mercedes hit those high notes. He tried, he really did, not to love their performance. It was inevitable. Sam clapped first, and the loudest, earning him a side-eye from Quinn that quickly turned into a smile due to the fact she wanted to remain a good sport. Sam quickly shrugged at her, as if to say he couldn't help it.

* * *

The competition for the duet was steep. He was so nervous for his performance with Kurt, he could barely breathe. Getting up in front of the entire Glee club now. He couldn't handle the pressure of the choir room for another second, and opted for a quick shower as they all took a break. Nearly running to the locker rooms, he found his iPod wasn't with him. Although that would've been an awesome place to rehearse, he settled for a shower in silence.

Looking up at the sound of someones throat clearing, he was shocked to see his duet partner Kurt. Confusedly wiping the water from his eyes, he couldn't really hear over the water running. He simply interrupted Kurt, "This is weird…" Sam said, attempting not to make eye contact. The words came louder than ever when Kurt mentioned that Sam should do their duets with other people. Sam wondered if he offended Kurt, but suddenly forgot about it when Kurt mentioned something about having a special shampoo for his color treated hair. Sam shouted over the loud shower to a persistent Kurt,

"I DON'T DYE MY HAIR." Kurt was already gone so Sam could skulk by himself. How the hell could he know about the lemon incident.

* * *

Fantastic. Well, there goes his chances of winning… if he had any to begin with. There was no way in hell he was going to do the duet alone, considering Kurt had picked out something from Wicked which he knew had to do with the Wizard of Oz, and that seemed a bit outlandish for him.

It came as a shock to Sam eventually paired with Quinn Fabray for the duet. He tried to smile slightly, but Quinn's voice was even less powerful than Kurt's. His only chance of winning would've been to snatch up Mercedes when he had the chance. Of course Santana already knew that, hence why she grabbed her.

Here goes nothing.

* * *

The duet with Quinn was shockingly great. He knew that he heard Mr. Schuester right when he announced their victory, but he still didn't _feel_ like he had won. He didn't deserve it. Quinn's voice was lovely, but it had no power whatsoever. She certainly was no Santana or Mercedes. He tried not to think about it, and decided to instead focus on the date but not a date with Quinn at BreadstiX. He was very excited, and kind of stumped as he didn't know what to wear.

On his way home from school, he decided to stop at some clothing outlet to look for an outfit. He had a few hours before the early 5pm dinner Quinn had planned, obviously trying to make it as least romantic as possible. He could respect that, because he had no idea what he was doing. A popular girl like Quinn was probably used to fancy dates every other weekend. This would be his first date (but not a date)!

On his way into the store, he had an idea for an outfit he wanted. A classy vest, not too much, but definitely enough to push him right out of the friend-zone. He wanted this to go well.

Skulking past the bargain isles and the hideously matching shoe racks, he made his way to the middle where business casual was situated. He noticed a rack of pretty dresses right near the vests, and wondered if Quinn was picking out an outfit too at some other store. He gulped loudly noticing the low-cut, short dresses and wondered if she would ever wear something like that. He wasn't sure if he wanted her to… or not.

Quinn was nice enough, and she was pretty, but she didn't really give him a spark. They were just… very good together on paper. Which he was down with. Maybe eventually, a spark would start between them.

Picking through almost every rack, he found nothing suitable. Everything was too fancy. He slumped his shoulders and blew air out in a long, drawn out way to show his annoyance. He turned suddenly to head for the door, not noticing the small girl who was inches behind him trying to scoot past without bothering him.

She was holding about three dresses and a pair of shoes that were suddenly bumped from her overflowing arms, along with her phone he held in the other hand. "I am so—," he scanned for a face in this stranger and once he found it, he blushed a deep red. It was Mercedes Jones, the member of his Glee club that he admired from a far. Very, very far. In fact, he had never talked to her before now. Her face seemed flushed too, putting a hand up to stop his already halted apology. He stood there dumbfounded as she tried to stifle a laugh, looking at the mess of clothes on the floor she just dropped. She put her hands on her hips, looking at her now broken phone case lying next to the mess.

"Mercedes, I'm really sorry. I didn't even see you. That's your name right?" He tried to play it cool pretending he didn't already know her name. Looking her square in the face, he wanted her to look up and make sure she wasn't mad. She didn't answer, or even acknowledge his eyes burning into her face. "I guess I'm gonna have to make a trip out to Best Buy today," she said lightly, finally looking up to meet his glare. She noticed the flush of his face and the smirk that appeared at the corners of his large lips. "Yes that's my name, don't wear it out." She added as an afterthought.

"You're Sam, right? I do believe you were the one who killed the duet with Quinn. Congratulations." she added with a smile. There was no questioning the disappointment in her voice. He could tell she wanted the win, and she sure as hell didn't want to deal with Santana now that they had lost. He bore into her eyes, not hiding the smile that formed on his lips.

"That would be me. Thanks." He added, disappointment also stinging his voice because he knew she deserved to win. He stood there staring for a moment, smiling at her until she quickly ducked down to retrieve the items she dropped. "No, no. Let me." He quickly dove in front of her to pick them up. He knelt on the floor at her feet folding the clothes she dropped as she examined her phone. He noticed her feet were just about as small as she was. She was wearing a black pair of high tops with skinny jeans, and a baggy sweatshirt. He pondered for a moment why she would need all of these dresses considering her outfits didn't really consist of those, but decided it was out of line to ask.

A twang of interest gnawed at him, and he tried to bite his tongue but let the words slide out as he was sliding her folded clothes back into her arms. "Going somewhere special?" He asked as he met her eyes again. Her eyes grew wide as her lips twitched slightly, hinting he probably didn't want to tell this perfect stranger her business. He went to apologize for asking, but she answered before he could—" Obviously I have a lot of dates. You know, one tomorrow, one Saturday, one next Friday. Gotta switch up the game." He felt a weird feeling in his stomach over her response. He sort of wished he had never asked, but ultimately, why should he care? He was going after Quinn after all.

As he stood there sulking, she butt in quickly, "Kidding. I'm a church going girl and I have to keep my outfits fresh for that occasion. But it does seem like you are shopping for a certain date." She added, trying to break the awkward silence he created. He visibly became less tense at that new answer for some reason, and a smile lit his face up though his stomach churned.

"Oh sure, my date.. but not actually a date… with one of the most popular girls at McKinley. I'm totally not freaking out about it, if thats what you were wondering." He suddenly didn't care about the date, he just wanted to make her laugh for unknown reasons. She met his eyes, realizing she was staring at his fidgeting hands the entire time he spoke. He kept wiping his palms on his jeans and tying and un-tying his hoodie string. "I can totally tell. You seem cool, calm, and collected." She added sarcastically.

She thought he was laughing at her joke, but he was really laughing nervously to refrain from freaking out of being in this small girl's presence. The date seemed like the last on his very long list of things to freak out about right now.

He noticed her small hands trying desperately to cling to the piled fabrics he handed to her, but her arms were no help because they were also short. Without question, he grabbed the fabrics from her—explaining as he did so, "Here, let me carry that for you. It's the least I can do since I made you break your phone case with my clumsiness. I really am sorry, Mercedes." He added again.

He smiled up at him in response, "Thank you Sam. That southern hospitality is showingggg." She rang on the last note. He would let her think that, but honestly he probably wouldn't have cared to hang around if he bumped into anyone else from school. Once her arms were free, she looked around in search of a shopping cart she could use instead of having him carry it for her. She looked up at him with no luck in her eyes, "I don't see any shopping carts around this area, but let me go find one so you can get back to your shopping." She abruptly turned but heard loud clumsy thumps that caught up with her and were suddenly walking beside her.

"No, it's completely fine. I don't mind carrying them." the tall blond tried to meet her eyes, but she kept walking scanning for an empty basket. "Sam don't be ridiculous," she started to chuckle. Maybe he was being ridiculous. Why was he so drawn to this girl? Carrying around her clothes like a personal shopper— imagine if Quinn had seen this. He gulped, keeping the volume low, and helped her in her search for a basket. He was silently praying that this wouldn't come up when Mercedes and Quinn hung out next.

Walking in their quest, Sam tried his best not to make small talk. He didn't want to freak her out by being too eager to talk to her. He failed miserably. "That was a nice phone case— I'm sorry it broke in the fall." He couldn't stop apologizing. It was just the way his mom raised him. She laughed a low laugh that flowed naturally from her mouth into his ears. "Sam, it's fine. Seriously. I know it wasn't on purpose." She quickly stopped him before he could apologize again. Since it was his only topic of discussion, he started again hoping to hear her talk some more.

"So you and Quinn. You two are close, right?" he asked, trying to get her to look at him. She kept looking for a cart in the crowded department store. Her brown eyes scanned quickly, not noticing his green ones burning into her. "We are," she finally answered in a huff,"She's been my best friend since last year when she was pregnant with Beth. She really was a sweetheart to me when I was… dealing with my own issues." He could sense the hesitation in her voice, but he wanted to know more. What issues could she possibly be talking about? Without a second thought, his big mouth opened again. "Issues? I thought Quinn was the only one with issues. Being 16 and pregnant, and all."

Open mouth, insert foot. Good job Sam. Mercedes stopped walking, looking up at him for the first time since they had began looking for a cart. "You don't really have to judge her. That part of her life is over. She's gotten her act together since, and she's a better person for going through that." He could taste the acid her words entailed, and he immediately felt regret. He stood there, face as red as a tomato, as he tried to think of what to say back. "If you say sorry again Sam, I swear." She laughed, and as a reaction he laughed back nervously.

"That was messed up for me to say. I do care about Quinn, I guess I just don't understand that part of her life. It seems like before I met her, she was a different person." Mercedes nodded silently, still unwilling to share what issues plagued her in the past year. "Everyone changes throughout high school." She said in agreeing to his last statement. He slowly nodded, trying hard to stop staring at her beautiful features. He hadn't noticed she was literally glowing, maybe due to makeup, despite being under the fluorescents of a department store. She smiled lightly at him, noticing he was staring for a good minute as they continued their quest for a basket.

It wasn't long before Mercedes inevitably passed the jewelry counter. She felt bad for stopping and eyeing the rings in the display. There was a new three studded diamond-gold ring, that looked like an engagement ring but was surprisingly cheap. She grabbed the attention of the jeweler, completely forgetting the tall blond lugging her clothes. Honestly, he didn't mind at all.

"Excuse me ma'am, why is this ring so cheap?" she asked the jeweler, curiosity spiking her eyes like stars. The jeweler eyed the piece Mercedes pointed to. "Oh, that is a promise ring. It's fairly old and collecting dust. We've marked it down a few times, but it doesn't seem to appeal to any of the kids." The jeweler answered quickly, turning up to see the charmed look on Mercedes face as she eyed the ring. "Would you like to try it on? I'm sure your boyfriend wouldn't mind. It's a bargain."

Mercedes was cut loose from her starstruck state to acknowledge the jeweler just called Sam her boyfriend. She blushed lightly, not nearly as hard as he was, and quickly stumbled to get the words out, "Oh no. No, no. We're just two friends." she attempted to persuade the woman who was looking skeptical. "He actually has an, um, amazing girlfriend." Mercedes quickly defined his relationship with Quinn for this stranger to hear.

His lip twitched unknowingly and his stomach dropped low. He tried not to react to the sudden realization that Mercedes thought he and Quinn were an item. He wanted to correct her, but didn't want the stranger to get any ideas and embarrass her. In fact, it was almost painful to let this go on another moment, until the stranger suggested he find his girlfriends ring size and maybe bring her in to try it on. Reality hit him like a truck when this suggestion was brought to light.

Mercedes glanced up quickly to a pale faced sam with his lips tucked in, almost like a wave of annoyance was hitting him. She attempted to ignore it. "Sam, that sounds like an amazing idea. That ring is gorgeous, and Quinn would totally love it." Even though Mercedes was completely in love with the ring, she would let it out of her grasp so that Sam could give it to Quinn. He stifled trying to resist the offer— "I-I don't know Mercedes. Quinn has been pretty clear about our relationship. She wants to take things slow." He thought back at all of the times Quinn would cringe when he tried to hold her hand or even tell her compliments. She certainly wouldn't want a ring from him when she didn't even want to call their Breadstix meet-up a date.

"Oh Sam, you have to! She will absolutely love it. C'mon." She turned to the jeweler ignoring the sullen shake of Sam's head. "She's a size 8." She said excitedly as the jeweler pulled the ring from under the glass. It was still glistening even as it came out of the light.

Not as bright as Mercedes, though.

The woman showed Sam the ring, and he gawked at it over the clothes still in his arms. Mercedes was practically squealing, enchanted by the beauty of the ring. It really was beautiful, Sam thought to himself. The price wasn't too bad either. He dumped the pile of clothes on the counter next to him to get a closer look, taking the ring from the woman's hands. He turned it a few times watching the light dance on the stones, and noticeably eyeing the smile on Mercedes face as they danced.

While she was oozing, the woman was telling them about how she would discount it even further if he took it home today. Without a second thought, Sam gently grabbed Mercedes' hand, spreading her finger apart. She looked up, almost ghostly white. "Sam—-," he stopped her by looking up and starting, "I just want to see how it looks on a human hand." He lied. He wanted to see the stones dance on her.

She couldn't argue with that, and besides, his hands felt nice. They were oddly warm and rough, most likely from playing guitar. They were also noticeably two sizes larger than hers, which didn't take much considering hers were tiny. Still, it felt nice. Once he slipped the ring on, noticing it was about a size too big, she suddenly assured him, "I'm a size seven. Quinn is an eight, so it's perfect." She smiled at him brightly, flashing her pearly whites. He hadn't seen her smile like this before, but it was something he could get used to. He held her hand for a second more, pretending he wanted to see the light shift a few more times, until he unhooked his and slid the ring off. She made the decision for him, nodding to the jeweler stating "He'll take it. Do you gift wrap?"

"Woah Mercedes, I don't think I can afford that. I mean I do have some money saved, but…" She held her small hand up again to stop him. "I'll help you out," she started with a smile, "I think you're good for Quinn, and she is a great girl. She deserves it." He didn't want to protest with that smile, so he put in all of the money he had in his pocket and Mercedes paid the rest. But she promised him no gift-wrap.

* * *

His date with Quinn was uneventful. She reminded him that it wasn't an actual date. He did an impression where she stared blankly at him. More and more, he thought about his reputation. He would have a great one with Quinn, and there's no doubt she wanted to be with the Quarterback for her image. He wouldn't mind this, and he tried desperately to imagine a day when he didn't have to force his feelings with Quinn. He wanted to like her so badly, and he did care for her… but never saw a future with her. If anyone asked him this, he'd lie through his teeth. There was only one girl Sam had an interest for, and she was oblivious.

* * *

AN: Woop, there it is. I loved this chapter. SO much Sam and Mercedes fluff.

The purchase of Quinn's promise ring surely was something I wanted to see in the show. We can just pretend this is canon.


	3. A Question and Answer

_AN: Sam finally gets the guts to give Quinn the ring :) Another fluff Samcedes encounter as well._

* * *

 _Day Thirty-One_

A sun beam slowly inching across his bed, beaming onto his blonde, ruffled hair. The mess of his sheets and pillows scattered on the floor had proven that his night sleep was full of events. This wasn't the first time he had dreamed of the small and beautiful girl in his school Glee club. His dream was different this night. A memory of their last encounter before fall break started. It was like it was already winter when he walked her to her car after finishing their homework at their school's library well after the sun went down. He told himself he was hovering so closely because he swore he had heard suspicious activity of late night snow and red-dye slushies flying into unsuspecting Glee kids' faces.

He had walked so closely to her he could almost hear the steady increase of her heartbeat. They hadn't made contact since that time he ran into her at the store—literally. He swore he would pay her back or find her a new phone case, but he was flat broke since he invested all of his money in the promise ring Mercedes practically begged him to buy for Quinn.

He came transfixed on the ring again as if his name was Frodo suddenly. It reminded him so much of an engagement ring, it kind of freaked him out to even look at it. He wished the ring would turn him invisible instead.

Mercedes had no trouble with looking after it, promising to keep it safe for him until he decided it was the right time to give it to Quinn. He knew she secretly loved the ring, and she could keep it as long as she liked if she asked him. Not because he didn't care for Quinn, but commitment scared him silly. He grew up in a town where gettin' hitched is basically choosing your casket mate at your funeral. He felt too young for such an adult thing, and Quinn had already gotten a jumpstart on the whole "family" that was supposed to come after getting married. The thoughts ran through his head as he tried not to pay attention to the bitter air nipping his nose.

They came to a slow halt as they approached Mercede's SUV. He felt her arm pull away from his at once, and it was left hanging suddenly chilled without her touch. She had grabbed his arm for balance as they tried to maneuver over the icy parking lot that had apparently gotten worse as the day went on. Although he wanted to talk to her on the walk back, his mind swirled with other things plaguing him.

He wasn't sure how to describe what he was feeling. He felt a conflict of interest, for lack of a better term. Mercedes seems like the kind of person someone would wait a very long time for. She's timid at first, almost stand-offish… but when she _sings._ It's almost like a window into her soul. He was still searching for a way inside of Quinn's, determined to find it despite her trouble letting people in. He really did like her.

"Thanks for walking me Sam. I probably would have camped out all night if you weren't there doing homework too." She pulled him out of his thoughts. He nodded a quick response, "No problem Mercedes. See you tomorrow." She waved out of her window after he helped her into the car. He silently laughed at the fact she was barely five feet tall and had the biggest car he had ever seen. He slowly back away from her car after she was safely in. He opened his phone while walking to his truck to find his browser still on the YouTube guitar tutorials he had been transfixed with. So… maybe he wasn't doing homework like she thought he was.

This white lie pails in comparison the one his heart seems to keep from him. He just didn't know how or who to choose the right person for him, it seemed. Mercedes was always laughing, sometimes snorting at his impressions while Quinn could hardly be in the same room as him when he did them.

They're not for everyone, he reassured himself. Quinn just isn't the type of girl who finds that to be funny. That doesn't mean she's the wrong person for him. And they did have undeniable chemistry after they won their first ever duet together.

Although the ring wasn't in his possession, he felt it burn white hot in his pocket. He thought ht would forget about it eventually, but Mercedes is constantly asking if he is ready to give it to Quinn. He sighed to himself, not trying to hide his smile as he thought about the pout she wore when he gave her an indefinite " _Not yet."_

He knew that she cared deeply about Quinn, and wouldn't do anything to mess their friendship up… and she did seem to enjoy playing matchmaker.

He laid in his bed for a long time recounting the memory his dream just reminded him of, staring at the clouds outside of his window. A Sunday afternoon with nothing to do, no one to see… He felt a swell of loneliness and guilt for he had turned down an offer from Finn, Rachel, Artie and Tina to go to a sing-along Rocky Horror Picture Show. He cursed himself for keeping the pair of golden shorts from his short time as Rocky in their failed school production. He couldn't deny that he looked good in them, especially since football season was kicking his ass into shape.

He thought hard about his decision to give Quinn the promise ring right before the break started. He recalled the memory and shuddered at the almost rejection, sending a shooting pain through his still healing shoulder. He knew that it was taking a long time, but soon he was going to have to face the music and become the Quarterback once more. Although he sucked at leading, it was nice to have the title as most desirable. Maybe Quinn would give him a chance then. Of course she would, he thought to himself. Of course she would.

* * *

 _The Day Before Fall Break_

It was now or never, and Sam Evans put his game face on and took to Quinn's lunch table full of Cheerios. He gulped loudly, adjusting his hair before walking up to the smoldering stare of the school's most desirable bachelorettes. He knew that he had to take a chance with one of them if he truly wanted to be on top of McKinley.

He had retrieved the ring from Mercedes that morning after texting her yesterday to bring it to school. His breath shallow awaiting a response, finally in an exasperated sigh as she texted back numerous heart emoticons and long lines of text spewing in excitement. She was such a sap, and he told her with a smirk when he met to retrieve the ring. "Only a hopeless romantic, Evans." She said matter of factly, walking in the opposite direction as she passed the ring into his hand. Like a drug deal.

His palm suddenly burned and he wanted to throw it onto the ground before he walked up to this table full of high ponytails. He saw Quinn, with no lunch tray, seated reading a pink pocket bible. She had a cherry coke, unopened, and her phone in the other hand. Maybe texting her Mom the bible verse of the day?

He stood for a moment awkwardly, not taking the hint that he wasn't welcomed at the table by her friends. See, the thing about Sam is that he is insightful… you just have to talk really, really slow for him to get it. Face reading isn't his forte.

He glanced at an imaginary watch after clearing his throat twice, early asking to be the target of a Cheerio's unwanted lunch. It wasn't until a good minute had passed until Quinn looked up, no smile, to acknowledge the blond standing at the head of the table. Most Cheerios had turned back to their phones or their seat partners, instead of a pair of burning brown eyes that belonged to Santana Lopez. Still angry, he assumed, over losing the duet to Quinn and him.

He awkwardly half smiled at her and did an awkward wave, turning his attention to an unamused Quinn who was nearly about to dive back into her book. This was starting to fluster him. "Quinn." he said in a matter of fact tone, gaining back the table of Cheerio's attention. She smoldered and kept her lips in a straight line. "Samuel." she said without hesitation, finding her ribbon bookmark and placing it in her bible neatly.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you… alone." He said trying not to let the annoyance in his tone show. It must not of been hidden well. "I'm kind of busy Sam. Maybe another time." She tried to wave him off, picking up the Bible again attempting to go back into hiding with it.

"It's kind of important." He painted on a brave face and tried to make his eyes seem kind. Maybe he was a better actor this second time around, because she sighed and grabbed a book bag strap, suddenly popping our of her chair to join him by his side. She looked him square in the face, dragging him a little ways away from the table so the eavesdroppers had a harder time hearing.

"What is it Sam?" He could tell her irritation had grown within the past two minutes of seeing him. He felt a little embarrassed, but mostly sorry for himself this time.

"Did you know about this room? It contains all of the stars of McKinley. " He said trying to stifle a silly giggle. He wasn't trying to provoke her further, but he had to try to play this his own way. She looked up suddenly, without an answer, and began to walk away towards the hallways. His stomach sank as he thought she had enough of his shenanigans, but perked again as she wiggled a finger to follow her. Maybe this was the right plan, after all.

He sighed, opening his locker and emptying his pocket. The ring felt heavier than ever in his large palm. He threw it into the messy locker without a care. He replayed the last hour of his life over in his head, wondering what exactly he was doing to himself.

* * *

 **"Get off of your knee Sam you're freaking me out. I'm not ready to be married yet."** He surpassed a loud guffaw he felt building in his chest, he fought it hard. It came out as a sigh, stifled with a small chuckle. She was eyeing him the way Puck was the first day he auditioned for Glee club. "I'm not saying that Quinn. I mean- I might want to marry you some day." He gulped, feeling sick at the thought, "…but we are young. It's just a promise ring. To keep my truth to you, that I will be the boyfriend you can be proud to have." He felt her eyes piercing him like daggers. Like he had just threatened to kill her entire family. His stomach was as tight as a drum, welled up and churning his emotions up to his chest. He felt loud thumps in his hollow chest waiting for her response.

He felt like a damn idiot.

Sitting on one knee, like a proposal. Idiot.

She carefully took his hand and closed the box that had the ring situated in it. His face sunk in, and he wasn't so upset as he was embarrassed. "So that's a no…" he said, with no question in his tone. Quinn's voice was calm, as she looked at this boy being so vulnerable on the ground, she noticed that he was really trying to be a good person for her.

"It's a maybe."

* * *

He felt paralyzed with fear when he heard his phone notify him of a text He had been waiting for Quinn to message him saying no to his question. He felt better after checking it to see Mercedes had texted him, not quite ready for rejection yet. "morning sam :) it feels like fall break started 4ever ago. how you been?"

He didn't know if his phone screen was the culprit, but his face lit up.

"hello ms. jones, i'm great… miss u" He typed the words, but backspaced. "hello ms. jones, i'm great. how are u?"

He hit send with a sigh. He wasn't sure why he didn't just hit send on his original, friends could miss each other. He just didn't want to screw anything up with Quinn.

"i'm just great, is it crzy that im missing school? i can't wait for tmrrw!" He was excited, too. He missed Glee club… everyone in it. He was nervous, though, more than anything. He would be seeing Quinn for the first time since fall break started, and he had wished Mr. Schue didn't tell him that they were going to do a duet at Sectionals this year. If she decided to say no to his question, that would be the most painful thing he ever had to endure.

"me too :) we are gonna own sectionals. cant wait to start practicing!" he lied, but she couldn't tell through text.

"yes! we are gonna kill it. oh btw, dnt think ur off the hook. i want the details of you knw what." He felt uneasy after reading that last line. Surely Quinn had filled her in, hadn't she? He tried to shake the sleep out of his head as he sat up, putting his phone in his pocket. He put it on silent this time, just in case Quinn did text, he didn't want the message to ruin his last day of break.

* * *

He stood in front of his bathroom mirror and rustled his hair. His hair noticeably darker from when he had started at the school. He cursed himself hitting his hip and toe on the way downstairs, nearly running because he smelled the food his mom was cooking. He had thought he woke up too late, but he snagged the last couple of pancakes and the stack of bacon left for him. He could barely chew, he was so hungry he just wanted to shovel it all in.

He lifted his head, breaking the trance with his breakfast. He had heard the loud stomps of Stevie and Stacey upstairs which made him smile. Although he didn't exactly want to spend his day babysitting, he knew that it was inevitable when his mom caught wind he didn't have any plans today. Sundays were date nights when Sam was available to babysit, but he almost didn't mind it as much seeing his mom smile as she got dolled up to go on a date with his dad. They were the ones after all who sparked the hopeless romantic in him. He hoped he would have good news soon enough for them, despite telling them that he had no interest in anyone at school, he wanted to wait until it was official to tell them. _If_ _it ever was official,_ he reminded himself.

Finishing his breakfast he tossed his plate in the sink, swearing he would be back to clean it later. He assumed his parents were outside or somewhere because he didn't hear his mom's usual screech when Stevie and Stacy broke out the scooter on their new hardwood. He decided to get on his phone again after convincing himself he had no new text messages.

He was right. Not one, from anyone. He felt distraught, and tried to fight down the urge to text her first. It had been radio silence ever since he popped the question. And now that he was thinking of popping the question his food shifted uncomfortably in his stomach. He pulled up her contact card and swore that he wouldn't do it, but he hit the "call" button. It rang about seven times before he huffed and hung it up. What the hell was he thinking?

Surely he wasn't thinking at all because the next move he made was opening a new text to her. "hey, just wanted to know if u had any plans today. im stuck babysitting sis and bro but u could come over and hang out. stacey has been dying to do some girl stuff." He wrote it all out, checked it over once, twice, thrice. It looked good to him. How could she say no? He hoped she still had a maternal instinct. He hit the send button hoping for the best.

She returned the text maybe 30 seconds later. "cant, busy 2day. see u at school -Q" He felt flabbergasted as he quickly locked his phone and slumped in his chair. What was her deal? He knew that he had faced her with a tough decision, but he was only trying to get to know her better now. He wondered what she was doing, but there was no way he was going to text her again asking what was up. When he told her that he had a little sister on their date at Breadstix, she seemed interested enough. She asked if she was a blonde like him and he assured she was. She said she'd like to meet her one day, and he had hoped that would be today. He was confused as hell, and Quinn wasn't making this easy on him.


	4. Marry You

AN: _Thank you for your reviews!_ This chapter includes the amazing Burt and Carole wedding, Karovsky's fight with Sam, as well as Quinn's answer for Sam. Please leave a review if you enjoyed! I am very excited for this chapter.

* * *

 _First Day Back_

The alarm clock rung on his phone like a thunder strike, sickeningly sweet dreams fading quickly. He rumbled a low groan as he checked the time on his phone: 6:00 am. He cursed himself for wanting to be on the football team. He cursed Beiste for having practice so early in the morning, he cursed the whole world for existing right now. He decided if he was going to make this 6:30 practice in time, he would have to crawl his way to the shower.

He tried his best to get out of bed without stumbling. He put on his go to shower song "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and kept the volume as low as possible as his siblings and parents were sleeping down the hall. He decided his performance this time would have to be one of the lip-synch persuasion."

Drying his damp hair and throwing on his gym shorts he glanced by the mirror to give a quick wink. He threw on his shirt, hoodie and a pair of jeans in his book bag hurrying down the stairs. He knew if he was late Beiste would have a field day.

* * *

After practice had finished, he was just tying his shoes as he heard the soon to be fight starting. He saw Artie wheel past him, right up to Karovsky and said in a less than intimidating tone "Stop picking on Kurt." He said it no louder than a normal conversation but the entire room turned to stare. Karovsky ignored him and opened his locker further to obscure his view. Thats when Mike Chang lost it. "We're serious!" he shouted it and slammed Karovsky's locker right in his face. He got right up to his nose continuing, "This is a warning." Karovsky cracked a grin and began mocking him when Artie interjected, "From now on, you're going to leave Kurt alone." That was the straw that broke the camels back. Karovsky put on his jacket like nothing had happened, answering Artie "Look, if he wants to be a homo, that's up to him. Don't rub it in my face." Artie looked more scared than ever. "We aren't… asking you—" Mike had interjected by that point. "Yeah, we're done talking. Just back off, alright?!" he shouted into Karovsky's face again.

The sight of Mike flying backwards and knocking Artie out of his chair had Sam reeling. He was sick of staying out of it. This guy deserved to get his ass kicked. "Hey!—" Sam shouted as he lunged for Karovsky. He was a big dude, but he thought he could take him. This wasn't the first time Sam was wrong. Karovsky grabbed Sam's shoulders and flung him clean against the lockers. He fought back with a persistent stride, up until Karovsky swiftly punched him right in the eye socket. He fell to the ground defeated, clenching his face for a brief moment until catching a second wind. It was a split second before Karovsky jumped on top of Sam to finish him off, but Sam wasn't ready to back down.

He had heard the loud footsteps of Beiste when he felt Karovsky's weight lifted off of him. He had heard her shrieks of question, "What the hell is going on here?!" As soon as he was freed from the ground, he jumped up again trying to wedge between Beiste and Karovsky, not ready to back down. It wasn't until two firm hands on his shoulders pulling him back stopped him from another punch in the face.

They had decided to meet for an early Glee club meeting before school started. He lurched into the choir room sulking. "I could've had him if Beiste would've kept out of it!" he was fuming. He felt like a sore loser until Mike's soothing voice brought him back down. "Sam, you were awesome. You really took charge. The epitome of a leader." Sam sunk into a front row seat next to Quinn who had an ice pack ready. He smiled at Mike's comment. He had never felt like a good leader while he was the Quarterback, until now. It was a familiar voice sitting in the back that brought him out of his reverie. "I'm sorry, but where the hell was Finn?" Mercedes asked, he guessed she was giving Finn a death glare from across the room but Quinn's hand was blocking his line of sight. He heard Finn's excuses and felt a little bit of pity for him. He had taken Finn's spot as Quarterback, taken his girlfriend. He probably felt low as ever, and now Sam was getting praised like a God. "Lay off of Finn, Mercedes. It wasn't his problem. It's not any of your guy's problems, but I thank you for what you did. Especially you, Sam." Kurt added, his face sullen but trying to smile half-heartedly. Sam wanted to say something but was interrupted by Mercedes. He settled for a nod in Kurt's direction.

Their chat was interrupted by Mr. Schue entering the room, looking like he had seen a ghost. "What happened? Is everyone okay?" Sam could sense the panic in his voice and the tension grew thicker in the room. "Sam stood up to Karovsky." Quinn said, still icing his face. He knew that she was proud by the way she said it. He wondered what Mercedes was thinking about his efforts. If only he could see her face…

* * *

 _Marry You_

It was a day of Burt and Carole's wedding that the Glee club was performing at. He wanted to ask his mom for concealer but decided he didn't want to look stupid. He was nervous to be performing in front of all of Kurt and Finn's family members, especially with the bruiser on his eye that still wasn't getting much better. He had asked Quinn to be his date and she readily agreed, probably because she didn't have a better choice. He was still waiting for her answer and maybe this was going to push him over the edge of the friendship line. He knew he had to look sharp, and his dad lent him a suit just for the occasion.

Kurt made it clear that everyone was wearing a tie. He had opted for a black one considering he didn't want to stand out any more than he already was. He looked in his mirror and did a little strut, hoping it was enough to impress Quinn. He secretly wanted to impress someone else too, that he didn't want to say even in his mind.

He made his way down the stairs with his lapel in hand, an orange orchid on theme with Kurt's charming fall wedding color scheme. His mom was seated on the couch, most likely awaiting his departure. He heard her gasp dramatically and squee. "Samuel, you look just… so handsome—" she started but he cut her off with a groan. He realized this would be her reaction, but he strategically planned his departure down the stairs to be the exact time he had to leave. He kissed her on the cheek and promised not to stay out late, and promised to take as many pictures as he could.

On his arrival, he found a spot near the back. He saw Quinn's car was already parked, most likely early so she could freshen up her makeup before their performance. He also saw Mercede's SUV parked nearby. He was suddenly so excited to see how they looked, even if he had more excitement for one.

He marched up the church steps with his jacket in hand and entered the double doors, already smelling the old church smell before he did so. He made his way to the back room where every member of Glee club was already situated. He looked around ant noticed Quinn sitting with Santana and Brittany, while Mercedes sat with Artie most likely not knowing who to sit with since Kurt was off with his family members. She sat looking at her hands and smoothing her dress, not looking up when he entered. He looked over at Quinn laughing at something Santana was saying and decided to go over and catch up for a moment.

He walked up to her and stopped a few inches before his toes would touch hers. He suddenly realized the large feet standing in front of her and looked up with a smile seeing the large mouth and blond hair staring her right in the face. "Hi." Sam said so eager and inviting, with a large smile curling his lips up. She beamed at him patting the spot next to her inviting him to sit. He opted for the one in between her and Artie, since he was now ogling eyes at Tina instead of paying attention to them. "You clean up nice, Sam." She said sweetly, but eyeing his black circle still protruding from his face. He met her gaze and said, "Well I tried to scrub this away…" pointing at his black eye, "but even Mr. Clean didn't want a piece." He said it trying not to smile as hard as he possibly could. She burst out in a loud guffaw which would have been met with stares if the room wasn't already to it's maximum volume. He couldn't help but join along until her laughs stifled into small breaths.

He rubbed his palms against the knees of his suit, and just sat there quietly when their laughs became nothingness. He kept his eye steady ahead, but saw her in his peripheral vision looking as beautiful as ever. She had a dark red orange dress on like all of the other girls in the room, but he silently thought that was _her_ color. He wanted badly to look over and just see her with both of this eyes, but he knew he was on thin ice with Quinn. After the ring proposal and his backfired attempt to have her come babysit his siblings with him, he wasn't sure where he stood with her. He wanted so badly to just sit there for a while, but their comfortable silence was interrupted when Kurt came out to announce they were on in two minutes.

Everyone quickly strode to the sides of their partners and began their descent to the sanctuary. There wasn't a second to spare before Mercedes was locking arms with Kurt, and Quinn was quickly by Sam's side ready for the performance. First, Finn was going to start them off and then Quinn and Sam came second, directly followed by Mercedes and Kurt. As they stood behind Finn and Rachel in line, Quinn seemed distracted, only staring into space and nodding when he talked to her. Once in a while when she thought he wasn't looking, she would glance back to Puck and Santana laughing or talking about something. Her lips pursed and her eyes looked glaringly dark. He had to admit, he stole some glances back too… just not at Puck.

He heard the music start and he gulped in a large amount of air to occupy his lungs. He tried to grab for Quinn's hand as a reflex, but her arms were crossed and she stared straight ahead. Going over his lines one last time in his head, there were seconds left until he was about to go on. He felt a light tap on his shoulder and he turned around, looking wide eyed to see no one until he lowered his eyesight. Mercedes was smiling up at him, noticing his nerves "You're gonna be great. You two are awesome." she assured him. It helped, but he still felt as high strung as a new guitar. He heard his cue before he could respond, so he settled for a large smile and turned to face the music.

Quinn's mood brightened immediately once entering the sanctuary. A fake smile, he assumed, considering she barely spoke to him the entire time he arrived at the church. As they began their dance with a running start he heard Quinn's voice, barely, over the sound of his stomach churning.

 _Well I know this little chapel on the boulevard_

 _We can go-o-o_

 _No one will know-ow-ow_

His eyes staggered as she finished those lines and sang loudly

 _Oh come on, girl!_

He felt a rush of adrenaline.

 _Who cares if we're trashed_

 _got a pocket full of cash_

 _we can blow-ow-ow_

He began to sing with her

 _Shots of Patro-oh-on_

His last line was approaching, but he was now not alone with Quinn. He managed to keep his eyes focused on her like they choreographed, but his peripheral vision was at his service again to see Mercedes and Kurt joining them. They spun, twirled, and ended their dance with a show-circle fake out. It was that moment, unplanned, his hand had brushed with Mercedes. He knew because her skin was so soft as he remembered from when she tried on Quinn's ring at the store. It was the softest skin he had ever felt. He kept his eyes focused hard, but he felt his cheeks radiating as he sang his last line.

 _And it's on, girl!_

The remainder of the song went on after he and Quinn reached the pulpit, but he had trouble focusing on anything else. All he could keep his eyes on was Mercedes. He noticed her dancing and clapping along as everyone else did. He tried to keep in tune, but he liked his distraction too much.

Once the song had ended, Burt and Carole said their "I do's", it was time for the reception where Finn had planned something special and top secret only for a few of the guys to know. He felt his heart swell when he heard he planned to sing "Just The Way You Are" to Kurt and Carole. He could appreciate just a strong love for family, just like he had for his.

Finn began with his speech to Kurt, and began singing without a beat. Sam, Puck, Artie and Mike all followed his lead. He tried not to laugh at Kurt's shocked look, but his eyes only stayed on him for so long. It was then he had to switch to dancing with Quinn as Finn and Kurt took the stage together to everyone's surprise.

 _When I see your face_

 _There's not a thing that I would change_

 _'Cause you're amazing_

 _Just the way you are_

He grinned widely when Rachel faked everyone out by stepping in front of Kurt to dance with Finn. She backed away with a huge smile and pushed Kurt forward, again with his mouth open in shock. It was such a beautiful moment, and everyone was having a good time. Finn took Kurt's hand.

 _And when you smile_

 _The whole world stops and stares for a while_

 _'Cause girl, you're amazing_

 _Just the way you are_

The whole Glee club now harmonized, perfectly synced together.

 _The way you aaaaaa-are_

 _The way you aaaaaa-are_

 _Girl you're amazing_

 _Just the way you are._

Finn ended the harmony with a powerful, "Yeah!" smiling like a goofball. He had never seen him as happy as he was with Rachel on his arm and Kurt as his brother. It was like everyone's life was falling into place, all except for Sam's.

The ceremony ended after a few hours of dancing. He attempted a few moves with Quinn but ultimately seemed uninterested when their performance was over— taking to her phone and her seat at the table. He danced with everyone, including the beautiful Mercedes Jones for brief instances in time. He could see she was happiest when music was playing, and he could relate to that most definitely.

* * *

The night ended with a bountiful surplus of hugs and goodbyes. Some tears were shed from happiness, mostly from surprise at the loving bond of Kurt and Finn. He felt happy enough for them, but a bit of jealousy creeped up in his throat that he couldn't explain. He was far too young, but after that amazing ceremony he could feel the surge of happiness flowing through everyone. When he found the right person, he couldn't wait to do this with them. His thoughts drug out and immediately pointed to one in particular he would love to do it with.

He walked to his car with his jacket on this time. The weather in Ohio didn't kid around. He noticed Quinn's car was already gone before he had even left the church. He supposed she wanted to go to sleep early because they had school tomorrow. He noticed the big black SUV was still sitting in the same spot, and decided he would wait for the owner to get safely to it before he left. Not to be stalker-ish, but he was oddly protective of that owner. He climbed into the cab of his truck and flipped the heat on, sitting backwards with his front facing the chairs as he scowled out the back of his rear-view windshield waiting for her to step outside.

It didn't take long for her to walk down the church steps and stumble slightly on her tall heels. He laughed at the fact her height was still shorter than everyone else's. She fumbled in her bag and clicked the alert button on her keychain. Her SUV lights lit up and darkened, as she fumbled her way to the car. He would interject, but something about her wobbling just cracked him up. She finally gave up, sliding out of her heels and walking the rest of the way to her car barefoot. As she was about to pass his, he pushed back slightly so his elbow could tap his horn lightly. She jumped and for a brief second looked around shocked. He rolled his window down and stuck a hand out, laughing hysterically as he did so. She smiled and rolled her eyes, not trying to hold back her snort. "I'll get you back for that Sam." She shook her head as she continued the walk to her car, and Sam could now turn around and face the direction she was headed. He stuck his head out of the window shouting back "Can't wait!" sarcastically. She climbed into her car and waved once to him before driving off. He honked in response and followed her out of the parking lot, smirking a half smile as he did.

* * *

 _The Answer_

He eyed the giant purple and blue addition to his face. He slightly touched it, stinging his own skin as he did. He winced lightly before slamming his locker shut quickly so he wouldn't have to look at himself anymore. He was happy about what he did for Kurt, but he was the one paying the price. He wondered if this was going to be a permanent scar situation when he felt the throat clearing of a certain Cheerio behind him. She was holding up something he couldn't read but it looked like one of those feminine products for down there. He started lightly, glad to see her "Hi—" he was cut off abruptly by her high pitch voice. "Artica. Twice a day. It'll help the bruise." she said matter of factly, but smiling as she did. He replied a hearty "Thanks" while nodding, waiting for her to cut him off again as she usually did. "I've been thinking a lot about what you did for Kurt. It made a real impact."

"Now see _I_ thought the only impact was Karovsky's fist impacting on my face…" he said pointing to his large new facial feature, grinning widely. She ignored his joke continuing, "You saw what Finn did at the wedding. That was because of you." she said with a light smile in her eyes. Sam wondered if her words had truth… but decided she didn't really know what she was talking about. Sure, she dated Finn for a brief period of time, but she didn't know him like he did. He knew that even if he didn't get a beatdown from Karovsky for Kurt, Finn would have done it in a heartbeat. Finn is the type of person who truly loves his friends, and would do anything for them. Even if he didn't do anything in that locker room, he would've caught him after school. He's just a mixed up kid, caring too much about his image these days, Sam thought. But that isn't who he truly is.

It was a brief moment of his silent thoughts before Quinn started to speak again with an annoyance in her tone. "We've been standing here talking this whole time and you haven't even noticed I'm wearing your ring." He glanced over quickly to the arm resting on his locker as she tapped her hand against the metal. How the hell did she get that? He looked back at her face to ask the question out loud this time. "How'd you get that?" he said trying to hide the fact he was impressed.

"I broke into your locker. I'm really handy like that." She had said it playfully, but it did weird him out. He hoped she didn't see his copies of Marvel comic books hidden beneath his shirts. He pondered this for a moment, not knowing what to think, but suddenly realized this meant her answer to his question had changed from unsure to sure. Without even a second-thought, she turned suddenly to walk away waving her hand behind her back as she did. The ring danced in the light just as he remembered it did in the store when Mercedes had tried it on. His first thought wasn't to feel happy that Quinn agreed to be his boyfriend, but to text Mercedes the good news. He did a jump of gratitude, pumping his fist in the air like he had won a prize.

He quickly pulled his phone out and looked for her contact card. It was the first recent one, as usual. "ms jones! :)" he typed quickly, not moving an inch from his locker. He quickly sent her another one without waiting, "u will not believe what happend!" He put his phone in his pocket, leaning against his locker he closed his eyes smiling up at the ceiling. His eyes flew open as he felt the vibration against his leg. He read the text, beaming "wat?! spill!" He let out a hardy chuckle as he read it, reading it in her voice and imagining her grabbing his arm as she usually did when she said things like that. "she said…." he put as many periods as he could fit "yes." he finalized the secret he was ready to spill and hit the send button. It didn't take more than 30 seconds for her response. "evans! im so happy for u guys. congrats luv bird" she added the end to taunt him, he was sure. He tried to hide a giggle tickling his throat, and locked his phone. Once he told the news to Mercedes, it felt real.


	5. Change of Season

AN: So this chapter will tug at some feels. Includes Sam's first Sectionals win,Christmas at Lima, a very Samcedes Christmas. How will Sam hold up for the holiday?

**Scroll down for an authors note added 3/27**

* * *

It was as if the last two weeks hadn't happened. His life was a big blur between the second Quinn had accepted to be his girlfriend and the preparation for their big Sectionals performance was supposed to happen. He felt nothing but a huge lump in his throat, constantly. When he wasn't rehearsing with Quinn for the number, he was met with death stares from Rachel and apologetic glances from Finn for the death stares of his small girlfriend. All the could do was think back to his conversation with Finn in the locker room a few hours before Quinn came to him wanting to be his duet partner after Kurt backed out. He was adamant about getting across that he and Quinn would be great "runners up" to him and Rachel. He knew that Finn was just saying it to mess with him, but now that had become reality. This was show choir war, to them.

* * *

He woke up that morning feeling too nervous to eat a thing. He was confident once he would start singing that chunks were bound to blow, so he decided to skip it altogether. When he noticed the low growl of his stomach, he decided to just down a Gatorade and pray that kept the swelling feeling at bay. The nerves were bound to get the best of him eventually, but until then he had to stop being so scared. He tired to convince himself it wasn't going to be too crowded. He tried to close his eyes as he drove immediately to the back entrance of the school wanting to avoid the large crowd of people in the lobby. He assumed there was a crowd by the sheer number of cars in the parking lot.

Sam gulped loudly at the sight of Quinn sitting with her legs crossed, arms crossed, foot tapping and jittering uncontrollably. She barely made eye contact with him when he planted a seat next to her. He tried to be soothing even though she looked to be feeling the exact way he did. He put a reassuring hand on her arm, "Are you okay?" Sam knew the answer but he wanted to reassure her he was there to help. She snapped back at the speed of light, "No I'm not okay! The last time we performed in this setting, I went into labor! I think I'm having PTSD or something…" Quinn was on the verge of shrieking and he couldn't believe how scared she was. Usually Quinn wasn't susceptible to nerves because she thought so highly of herself. He could imagine her downfall at last years Nationals when her water suddenly broke and rushed to the hospital with Puck and Mercedes by her side.

He noticed the tension thick in the air as everyone panicked the star was going to drop out right before their big number. Could he even do this performance alone? Sam had no time to even think of anything else before his eyes darted to Mercedes who was preoccupied reading something. She seemed as cool as a cucumber, obviously she had more talent than anyone in this room so she had no reason to be as nervous as the rest of the group. He stared for a moment and nearly jumped out of his seat, seemingly reading his thoughts she started, "FYI…" everyone turned to look at her, but she kept her eyes on what she was reading. "I'm totally available to fill in." She said it in such a monotonous tone, like she wouldn't be saving all of their asses by doing that. As she said it everyone shook it off as if she hadn't said anything. Sam wanted to say something, because frankly he loved that idea, but didn't want to risk hurting Quinn's already fragile feelings in that moment. Everyone was feuding over their own personal drama that he decided to tune out, and instead imagine Mercedes being his dance partner for their first number.

Feeling a hand tighten on his arm, he heard multiple gasps as the lights flickered and a bell rang three strikes. Sam was informed this was their cue. Why the hell did he have to start it all off? Why him? He should've toned down the charm a bit for his duet with Quinn. He scooped his stomach off of the floor and headed down to the stage with his team, counting each step and every sigh trying his hardest to fight off this urge to run. Someone must have pointed at him showing where to go because his ears were ringing and barely remembered telling his legs to move. He stood facing Quinn, trying desperately to take his mind off of his impending doom. She noticed his eyes locked onto her forehead and quickly became annoyed. "What?" She said it pulling him out of his fog. His eyes focused on the small girl behind her waving at him and giving him a thumbs up with her signature smile. Sam quickly caught his breath and looked Quinn in the eye, trying not to say the wrong name. He settled for opting out of mentioning a name. "You uh.. you look beautiful." He wasn't lying, but he wasn't exactly saying it to her either. She grabbed his face with her hand as he gave her a kind smile. She released his face as quickly as she grabbed it and found her place at the opposite opening of the curtain. He released a huge sigh and faced the curtain, trying hard to focus on his small friend who just took his breath away. He really, really was wishing it was her doing this with him.

Sam stepped out of the curtain into a spotlight that blinded him. He began his lines and tried hard not to stumble as he walked down the stairs while singing.

 _Now I've had the time of my life_

 _No I never felt like this before_

 _Yes I swear it's the truth_

 _and I owe it all to you_

He pointed his finger towards Quinn who was now emerged from the curtain as well. She sang at a lower volume she was supposed to, assuringly because of the nerves.

 _'Cause I've had the time of my life_

 _and I owe it all to you_

He kept his focus on her, God testing him not to search for Mercedes as his team was steadily lining up on stage waiting for his and Quinn's arrival.

 _I've been waiting for so long_

 _Now I've finally found someone_

 _To stand by me_

He nodded to Quinn smiling, trying so hard to reassure her although he was in a state of frenzied panic as much as she was.

 _We saw the writing on the wall_

 _As we felt this magical fantasy_

They started to sing in unison

 _Now with passion in our eyes_

 _There's no way we could disguise it secretly_

 _So we take each other's hand_

 _'Cause we seem to understand the urgency_

 _Just remember_

 _You're the one thing_

 _I can't get enough of_

 _So I'll tell you something_

 _This could be love! Because—-_

 _I've had the time of my life_

 _No I never felt this way before_

 _Yes I swear it's the truth_

 _and I owe it all to you_

He mindlessly did his dance moves as his friends harmonized behind him. He sang his last solo part almost running out of breath, but he felt exhilarated now.

 _I had the time of my life_

 _No I've never felt this way before_

 _Yes I swear it's the truth_

 _and I owe it all to you_

The rest of his team took the next lines from him and he praised God that he didn't choke. He just focused on finishing the dance with Quinn.

 _'Cause I've had the time of my life_

 _No I've never felt this way before_

 _Yes I swear it's the truth_

 _and I owe it all to you_

He felt the heat of his team and heard Mercedes belting out the last note and felt truly gifted. Yes, Quinn was his girlfriend but he would never admit that she deserved to beat Mercedes in a singing competition. _No one_ did.

The rest of their performances went by faster than he could've imagined. He danced in the background and sang on tune. By the time Santana's rendition of Valerie was over he was sweating insane amounts. He had never felt so much a part of a family before, not even on the football team did he work as well in a team. Sam felt amazingly blessed when he heard that the New Directions had tied with the Warblers, resolving and guilt that the team had about Kurt not performing with them. He hoped he would be with them again for Regionals. He felt an urgency to hug Mercedes as he made eye contact with her across the stage. She smiled so hard he imagined her mouth hurt afterwards. He settled for a half hug between himself, Brittany and Quinn. This buzz seemed like it was going to last forever, and he desperately couldn't wait to reap the rewards of it.

* * *

The next day when Glee club met, Rachel deterred from her usual pleading of solos. I guess this Sectionals win without a damn Rachel Berry solo had humbled her, or at least something had by the looks of her puffy eyes. When Mercedes was given her chance to shine, she took it gladly. He grinned widely not letting Quinn see. Tina had opted to be Mercedes partner and she didn't have a problem with that as long as she still got lead vocals. Tina's voice was sort of muffled usually, but she was an amazing singer as well. She started off the song strong, but of course Mercedes would top it.

 _Happiness, hit her like a train on a tra-aaaa-aaack_

Mercedes started the next line already blowing her out of the water even with her hushed voice.

 _Coming towards her, stuck still no turning ba-aaa-aaack_

Tina started again suddenly and they started to alternate lines.

 _She hid around corners and she hid under beds_

 _She killed it with kisses and from it she fled_

 _The dog days are over_

 _The dog days are done_

 _The horses are coming so you better ru-uun_

Whatever temptation the team had resisted to join in was gone now. They dove into the song like a train at full speed.

 _Run fast for your mother run fast for your father_

 _Run for your children for your sisters and brothers_

 _Leave all your love and your longing behind you_

 _Can't carry it with you if you want to survive_

 _The dog days are over_

 _The dog days are done_

 _Can't you hear the horses_

 _'Cause_

 _here_

 _they_

 _come_

He was jumping up and down, giddy like a small boy. Sam truly loved to dance and sing, and this time there wasn't going to be anything stopping him from giving Mercedes a hug at the end of this performance. Starting the next line, somehow Tina snagged the solo part but Mercedes seemed okay with it.

 _And I never wanted anything from you_

 _Except everything you had_

 _And what was left after that too, oh._

They all joined again at full force.

 _Run fast for your mother and fast for your father_

 _Run for your children for your sisters and brothers_

 _Leave all your love and your loving behind you_

 _Can't carry it with you if you want to survive_

 _The dog days are over_

 _The dog days are done_

 _Can you hear the horses_

 _'Cause here they come_

He got a little carried away with the dancing, as he twirled and did a Michael Jackson move high up on his tip-toes. Sam couldn't help but grin unbelievably wide at the thought of how he looked. He was just too happy to hide his joy at the Sectionals win because of him.

They all joined together in the end, like they usually do. Mercedes was hitting an unbelievably high last note and killing it. He wanted desperately to take her in his arms right then, but Mike grabbed him and put his arm around him joining in a group hug circled around Tina and Mercedes. He was right next to her and felt her heat emitting, and the smell of vanilla which he had never noticed she had before. He _loved_ the smell. She tried again to grab her for a hug but failed awkwardly, bumping into her and almost colliding with her head. He stood breathless next to her as he felt her body pressed against his for a moment, and couldn't deny that she made him feel butterflies even with that slight awkward, accidental touch. That was the first time he felt her warmth against him and it surged him with the biggest rush he could imagine. She took a bow with Tina at the end of the harmony but he wanted desperately to grab her hand. _So_ badly in fact he had to put his in his pocket just to restrain himself. The group then collided and took in Tina with Mercedes. They meshed together and he sought his chance to touch her again. He pressed against her quickly, but trying not to seem too urgent. Quinn was nowhere to be found, and he didn't even care. He pressed into her as the group continued to hug and he smelled the warm vanilla again, this time hinted with musk. This was Sam's new favorite smell in the world and it faded all to quickly when the group disbanded from their group hug. Mercedes probably hadn't noticed, but he was going to remember this moment for a long time.

* * *

Coming down from their high, the Glee club was whipped up abruptly with the change of season and the dawn of Christmas approaching fast. He knew he wanted to buy two gifts, but didn't know how he would slide one to Mercedes without Quinn finding out. He had saved up a good amount since he bought her promise ring, and he wanted to thank Mercedes for being such a good friend. If it wasn't for her, he definitely wouldn't have Quinn on his arm. His mind wandered to places unknown when he wondered who he would be dating if he had never met Quinn. What if he had never won that duet with her and bumped into Mercedes while picking out an outfit for Breadstix?

What if…

He sat in the choir room along with other Glee kids after finishing their rendition of the Island of Misfit Toys. He didn't feel so much like a misfit with so many people that he loved, and Christmas cheer dazzled him down every hallway he walked. Sam's mind was swimming with possibilities as he wanted to get Quinn something special. Maybe he could get Mercedes' help again.

He pulled out a phone to send her a quick text when he was tapped on the shoulder by an urgent Quinn. He turned around to feel her press against him and lock lips. Her lips tasted different… like mint toothpaste. He didn't question her urgency but he felt this kiss become uncomfortable when she handed him a piece of mistletoe to hold over their heads. He felt a quick flash and saw Jacob Israel flashing their picture, not trying to hide or obscure his quest in any way. Sam looked over and gave him a mean mug, then back at Quinn who was waving him off. She didn't think Sam saw it, and he didn't bring it up when she pretended she had nothing to do with it. Quinn was no doubt the biggest schmooze he had met. She was constantly trying to rebuild her image as Queen Bee and would do anything to anyone for the sake of being on top. He could understand her hunger for popularity, but it did hurt his feelings. He didn't know what to expect from having a girlfriend, but he figured if this was what it was like he was bound to get used to it.

Still unsure of what to get for Quinn, even if he was unsure she deserved something after kissing him as a publicity stunt for her image, he took it upon himself to go find Mercedes Jones in person instead of shooting the text he was interrupted from writing. After Quinn's whole mistletoe scene, she quickly scurried away to wherever, he assumed to find some other stunt to do, before it was time for Glee club to meet. He knew Kurt and Mercedes sometimes joined Rachel in the auditorium to practice runs, keeping their voices fresh for their upcoming Regionals.

Upon walking into the auditorium Sam felt a rush seeing Mercedes seated at the piano by herself. He walked impatiently, trying to be quick but also not trying to make a sound. She was tickling the ivories idly, whispering low pitches and runs to herself. He would have wondered where Kurt and Rachel were but he didn't really care right now. He stood for a short amount of time not being able to keep his thoughts to himself before giving her feedback, and began clapping loudly to her surprise. Mercedes' head shot up and her eyes widened with a slight smile to see Sam idly clapping. "Brava" he said in a dramatic tone. "We are so going to win Regionals with you under our belt" he added after a brief bought of more clapping. The short beauty stood up and bowed twice, mockingly. She sat back down with a chuckle and he placed his back to the stage, cupping the ledge and jumping up so he was sitting on it. He spun around and quickly came to his feet again, walking to join her at the piano.

"That would be true if our Regionals wasn't going to be the Rachel Berry show yet again. You think Mr. Schue would've learned by now we don't need her solos to win. You, Quinn, and Santana proved that two weeks ago." She smiled half-heartedly and his heart ached, knowing that she deserved a spotlight of her own. She continued when Sam said nothing, "I never did get to tell you, but that was amazing. You two really were in sync, and you both looked great." He clenched his chest in response, like a dramatic old woman clenching her pearls. "Why thank you Ms. Jones. That means a lot coming from you." He said it with a full smile, and then quickly added "But you are right. Rachel really does need to chill. This club needs to be a representation of all sorts of voices. Especially because we are gifted with one so angelic as yours." He added and he felt the heat rising to his cheeks. Sam was thanking God that she was looking down at her hands now and not directly at his face. Her voice had a cheery demeanor, "Thanks Sam." She added a fake smile he could see right through, but he didn't want to say anything because he didn't want to overstep.

Sam Evans was playing a dangerous game. He finally found the blonde cheerleader of the dreams he was supposed to have, no matter how controlling or manipulative she was, she was still the most desired in the school by the populous. Quinn didn't get serious with many guys, at least as far as he knew. Even more so, Mercedes didn't seem to be interested in _anyone._ He knew it was a personal preference, because guys clearly noticed her amazing self whenever she entered a room. She was insanely hard to get, even more so than Quinn. But that isn't what drew Sam to her. She was just so special. To date Mercedes Jones wasn't a challenge like getting with Quinn or any other Cheerio, it was to like someone because they were so insanely unique and talented—and not to mention beautiful.

He hadn't realized his thoughts distracted him from his reason for coming to the auditorium. He must have been thinking for a long time because he looked over to see Mercedes no longer sitting next to him, but packing her bag and about to walk from the stage. He quickly felt embarrassed and a sense of regret for sitting so long in silence. "Was it something I said?" Sam quickly blurted out without thinking. She laughed and disagreed, "No, we're going to be late for Glee club crazy." She fake rolled her eyes and stepped from the stage, with Sam close behind now. He seemed to lose track of time when he was with her. "I knew I was forgetting something." He joked and cracked his signature Sam Evans smile at her. She nodded agreeing with him, "Maybe you need a watch." She was kidding but he pondered the idea. She was walking quicker now and he begged internally for her to slow.

They walked together down the hall, not even needing to ask each other if they wanted to. He couldn't read time on a clock, but he wanted time to stop whenever he was with her. He stuck up a conversation half way to the choir room about his original reason for finding her earlier. "Speaking of watches, are girls interested in those as gifts? I'm kind of stumped on what to get you…" He let his thoughts slip but quickly caught himself. "And Quinn. I mean I do owe you for helping me pick out that ring for her. Maybe you could help me pick out her christmas gift?" He gave himself a mental high five for the smooth save he just performed. She didn't seem to notice much else besides mention of a shopping trip. She grabbed Sam's arm with a jump and a big smile. "Sam Evans! I would love to." He almost felt his heart beat out of his chest.

* * *

The rest of the day he nearly glided through the halls. He and Mercedes agreed to meet at the mall after school to find a Christmas gift for Quinn. He kept checking the clock in every room he entered. He would check his phone if it weren't for the teacher's side-eyeing him even in the hallways. The wait was almost unbearable. He was constantly checking his phone for every chance he got, afraid Mercedes was going to cancel on his abruptly. She wasn't the flaky kind like her best friend, but if Quinn got wind of this there was no way he would be able to live it down.

He received the text an hour before school was out. Mercedes was talking to Artie who had asked for some help he was having with Brittany, and now their one on one mall meet was going to be joined with the rest of the Glee club. He sighed to himself and cursed Artie and Brittany silently. Sam didn't see them as a good fit, but he didn't even see himself as the best fit with his own girlfriend. He was in no position to judge. He quickly sent her a text assuring her that it was okay, but he felt like he was going to sulk the entire trip.

They set out agreeing to carpool to the mall, agreeing that since they were all going together they might as well venture out together. Mercedes offered Quinn a ride and by extension, Sam. Santana tagged along in Mercedes' SUV while Brittany drove Artie only. Finn and Rachel went with Mike and Tina while Puck took his motorcycle with Lauren on back. Since Santana was tagging along, Quinn opted to sit in back with her Cheerio-mate. He was glad to be sitting up front with Mercedes' because this meant he could casually glance over to her singing Christmas songs and wouldn't get any weird looks from Quinn in the process. This car ride was an impromptu performance, and he loved every second of uncomfortable shyness Santana shockingly had when her voice didn't come out as silky smooth and Mercedes' did.

Upon arrival to the mall, the Glee kids all met at the Santa display and convinced themselves it was for a good cause as they all had to hop on Santa's lap for Brittany. Artie volunteered Mercede's first which caused Sam to glance over and give her a reassuring smile as she rolled her eyes towards the black Santa. This day seemed it was getting worse and worse, and Mercedes' seemed to regret helping Artie out at this moment.

After Brittany's shocking wish for Santa to give Artie the ability to walk again, the group was pretty disgruntled. He was still mad about his giftless-ness and now Quinn was along for the trip so he couldn't very well get her a gift. He almost began to jump up and down when Mercedes' came back from her food court run alone, telling him that Quinn decided to get a ride home with Brittany, Artie and Santana. For this brief instance in time, he was grateful for the existence of the Un-Holy Trinity.

He tried to bit his lip but the giant smirk his large lips produced couldn't be held back. Sam took the moment of opportunity to grab Mercedes' arm and hook it with his. That was normal for friends to do, he was sure of it. She looked at him in shock, forming a crazy smile of her own with a chuckle. "Sam Evans, what are you doing?" He didn't look down at her but nonchalantly responded. "We're waaaalking." She tried to tug her arm free with no avail. "Sam slow down, my legs aren't that long!" Keeping his arm locked with hers, he smiled and slowed to a pace she could keep up with. He knew she was protesting, but this felt really right. They both wore similar leather jackets, and their materials rubbing together made slight friction that he damned. They walked for a short amount of time before letting her know his plan, "Stop me when you see a store we can look for a gift in." She didn't look at him but she nodded as she kept her eyes peeled. There was a small Christmas store that was opened specifically for the holiday season. She tugged his arm and said, "This. Right there. Nope, keep going…. going. Stop!" He was laughing as he purposely misguided her until he stopped in front of the small shop. She grinned at him and unlocked her arm. His felt absent and limp, and he let it drop to his side with a smack. He was confused, and she sensed it already explaining, "They do custom glassblowing. You can make her one that's totally unique, and you can even engrave it. Perfect for your first Christmas together." She was beaming at her idea, and his heart swelled. She was the most thoughtful person he had ever met, and he fought every urge in his body to wrap her up in a hug. That would come later.

"C'mon." She said without hesitating, no matter if he protested she was making him at least look first. But he didn't protest. The idea was literally perfect, although he wasn't sure exactly if this was going to be a long line of Christmases to spend with Quinn. In fact, it may be the first and the last, but he wasn't going to spoil her gift idea because frankly it was perfect. She was already looking at the assortment of glasses they had available, concocting the perfect color scheme. "I think green is a good theme, you both have green eyes so it will match. Maybe tones of red and yellows, a slight orange." He smiled as she picked it all out. She even did get a custom engraving saying "QUINN" on the bottom. It was literally perfect, not unlike the girl who thought it up. She held the finished product up after it took an ice bath, smiling next to it and presenting it like a showcase. He finally answered her burning question, "Mercedes… It's literally perfect." He couldn't fight it anymore. He carefully took the ornament from her hands and sat it in the box, carefully closing it. She was smiling and caught off-guard when he swept her up in a big hug where he twirled her and swept her off her feet. She squealed and he could swear he felt her face grew hot. "Sam you are crazy!" He just smiled refusing to let go for a moment longer, breathing in her hair. He let her go in a swift motion and she was indeed, blood red. He couldn't help but breathe out smoothly and agree with her. "But that's part of my charm." He said as he kept his arms on her arms, and she patted his to signal she agreed. He didn't pay much more attention to the glassblower, and pulled out his wallet to pay. She was idly looking at other trinkets and such, focusing on a small beautiful golden crown that had diamond accents. She fingered the bobbles and smoothed her hands on the stones. It seemed without even meaning to, he found her gift.

* * *

Christmas isn't over yet! The next chapter will tie things up for Christmas at McKinley, and maybe a new chapter in Sam's life. Please leave feedback/ shoot me messages or anything you'd like! And please enjoy.

EDIT 3/27: A lovely guest pointed out I made an error! The engraving on the bottom of the glass ornament states: QUINN, not "N". I have now fixed the error, so sorry! This happened due to a copy and paste error, because I write my chapters on my own personal text editor and paste them here when they are finished. Thank you for pointing that out. I also wanted to thank you all for your amazing reviews. I hope you all enjoy the upcoming chapter as much as I do!


	6. A Four Letter Word, A Lot of Meaning

_AN: Thank you all for patiently waiting for this update. This is a deciding factor in Sam's life. After these events, nothing is the same._

 _Scenes of Christmas and Regionals approaching, where does Quinn stand with Finn? And Sam with Mercedes?_

 _..._

* * *

 _"You cut me down a tree, and brought it back to me. That's what made me see where I was going wrong. You put me on a shelf and kept me for yourself, I can only blame myself— you can only blame me."_

Christmas had gone by in a flash. He was eager to give Quinn and Mercedes their gifts, but he had to wait until the break was over because Mercedes was busy with her family and Quinn was, well, Quinn. She never really responded to his texts or calls. He felt exasperated with his high school relationship, swearing he was a genius for keeping away from girls at his all boys boarding school. This long sophomore year was testing his patience with girls, and his own feelings. The blond was thankful for the break to set his head straight and really focus on his goals. Being the quarterback for a brief moment proved to get Quinn on his arm, with the help of a certain little matchmaker, but now that his reputation was kind of muddled due to Finn getting his spot back he wasn't sure how long Quinn was going to stick around. This realization was supposed to make him feel sad, but he didn't really feel as bad about it as he thought it out in his head.

He only had a few hours to kill until the nightfall, and then the countdown of t-minus two days until the day winter break was over. He thought about the last time he had fall break and how much he missed the days of summer where he could lounge around and not be stressed about his grades or any upcoming competitions. He wanted to do better with his grades, because i the was being honest with himself, he was honestly embarrassed by his dyslexia. It wasn't that it was his fault he had this issue with reading words, but he wanted badly to write songs and he couldn't even read sheet music.

Sam slumped into a chair in his living room, staring out at the snow filled banks that was his front yard. He was hoping it would melt before the day arrived to go back to school. His doom impeded as every minute went by, and he ran out of things to do a few days after the break had started, so he settled for the calming scene outside of his window. It was a few short minutes of peace before Stevie and Stacey were begging him to go out in the snow with them. He wanted to resist, but he had nothing better to do. He got his coat on and was out the door to play with the munchkins.

* * *

When he woke up on the snowy Monday morning, he was excited but nervously pacing back and forth in his room. He was holding his stomach and his eyes were impeccably dark. He kept looking out at the icy roads and a small gasp creeped up, wondering if Quinn or Mercedes would even show up to school in these conditions. Although he had an hour to kill before school started, he was already dressed in his jeans and converse, throwing a bulky hoodie on top. He was used to Tennessee winters, but this was another match for Sam.

Without a second thought, his phone was in his hand and he was typing a message. "good morning ms. jones, the weather is craaaaazy today. just b careful!" He sent it without hesitation, but then he felt a pinch of regret for not sending one to Quinn first. He cared about them both deeply but his subconscious had an idea of which order they should be texted. He quickly opened Quinn's contact and sent her a similar message. "hey q, be careful. roads are icy, -S." He felt silly texting so formally to his own girlfriend, but that was just the way Quinn was. He probably wasn't going to get a response back, but he hoped that she would heed his warning.

He sat there for a few minutes and felt the phone vibrate in his palm, opening it quickly to see who had responded. He wasn't surprised but he felt the grin form as he read Mercedes' text in his head. "oh i know! i don't think im gonna make it :( my parents left and my car is stuck in the drive way. but when u give quinn her gift, u bettr message me the details! thx for the warning about the rds. ill talk to u later, and i mean it evans i want details!" His heart sank into his stomach, and his face grew hot. He was frustrated and he didn't know how to respond. His hands idly opened their texts again as he reread the message, and unknowingly typed a response— sort of like a knee-jerk reaction. "nonsense! im coming 2 pick u up. txt me your address?" His heart was fluttering and his palms grew clammy. Had he overstepped his boundaries?

His phone lit up in response, seconds later. "sam ur awesome… my address is…" she continued to type it and mentioned she'd be ready in 10 minutes. He was so happy he woke up early this morning.

* * *

He nearly leaped down his stairs, skipping stairs when he could and making the loudest possible thuds with his feet. He jumped off of the last landing and picked up his car keys shouting a loud "Bye!" to his confused family eating their breakfast. He could see his mom was about to start— but he crammed himself through the doorway and out into the bitter air faster than he ever has. He shuddered and shouted a loud "WHOO" when he felt the air embrace him. He tried his hardest not to slip on the way to his car, which was performed with his fastest jog. Once he started the cab he felt the sweet relief of the warm air blowing on him. His face became even more flushed than the thought of sharing a car ride alone with Mercedes. He abruptly swerved from the street spot his truck occupied and thanked God he had just put chains on his tires before the snow hit.

He turned on his radio and cringed at the sound of horrific static. He assumed that something was wrong with the tower due to the snow. With a sigh, Sam turned it off and opted for a silent ride to her house. He was hoping to jam a little for his nerves to calm, but maybe the peaceful silence would help him relax more. She didn't live far from him, not surprising because his family was actually able to buy one of the houses that were considered to be owned by the wealthy communities in Lima, and since her dad was a dentist he was probably well off. He turned into her street and let out a low chuckle at the sight of her SUV piled in snow from last night's fresh downpour. He stopped when he reached the front of her house and suddenly was unsure if he should call her or knock on the front door.

He decided to call her, as that'd be the safest bet. He dialed her number and it rang a few times with no answer. He left her a voicemail quickly, "Heyyyy- It's Sam. Your ride. I'm outside whenever you're ready Ms. Jones." He said it almost flirtingly, definitely charming. He locked his phone after checking the time, seeing they still had almost forty minutes to get to school. he wasn't going to rush her, but instead enjoy the heat of his truck and the scenery that surrounded Mercedes Jones' house. It had large trees and bushes, and a wrap-around white picket fence. It was certainly nicer than his house, by a long shot. It was the kind of houses that old married couples would happily up-keep as they lived out their life together. Sam definitely wanted one with his future wife when he grew older.

He closed his eyes and listened to the soft hush of wind blowing against his truck windows. He was content in this moment waiting for Mercedes. A small noise began to stir, as he looked out of his truck window he saw her front door open and she emerge with a large coat on and snow boots. She was bundled up in a huge scarf and furry hat, and he smiled a sleepy smile at her sight. She stood there for a moment staring at the icy stairs ahead of her and a frown formed. He noticed that the stairs were unbearable, almost like her parents forgot to shovel them altogether. Without a second thought he hopped out of his truck and made his way over to her through the snow. He shouted before she took her first step, "Mercedes! Stop, you're going to fall. Don't move. I'm going to help you down." He was looking down at his feet to make sure he didn't slip along the way, the time taking him to walk was taking too long for his taste.

Sam finally made it to the stairs, and Mercedes was giggling at his attempt to hurry up them. He looked up at her with a grin, "Something funny?" He asked and knew the obvious answer. "Nothing at all. This is totally not hilarious." She lied while stifling a laugh. He was at the top of the stairs and he held his hand out to hers. She took it and kept her eyes glues to her feet as they moved down the stairs. He _tried_ to move at the same slow pace as she did to assure she didn't slip, but he made it to the bottom before she did. His long arm had enough length to keep ahold of her hand. She stopped before the last step, which was glazed over with ice that must have been three inches thick. Her hand tightened in his, but before she could step Sam let go of her hands and opted to pick her up by her sides instead, lifting her and placing her on the stable ground. Mercedes wasn't used to being lifted, so she squirmed uncomfortably and used his arms for balance as she steadied herself. She looked up into his green eyes and mumbled, "Thanks" seemingly embarrassed but grateful. He waved off her gratitude with a smile and grabbed her arm to help escort her, this time to his truck. His hands gripped hers unknowingly and she pulled hers away quickly, but keeping her arm in his for balance. Sam Evans was no longer trying to fight, it seemed, his feelings were starting to have a mind of his own.

After helping her into the truck, he hopped into the drivers side to see her turning the heat up and resting her hands on the vents to warm them. He thought out loud, not for the first time "That's a good idea. Your hands feel like ice cubes." He said it dramatically and holding up his like raptor claws, opening and closing them. She tried not to laugh, but she looked over at him and abruptly placed her hands on his face. "Like this?!" She squealed loudly and he didn't even fight it. He got chills and a huge shiver erupted down his spine, and he knew she would think it was because of the cold. He grabbed her hands and removed them from his face, just so she didn't think anything weird by him keeping them there. He held them in-between his and rubbed them repeatedly like he was trying to start a fire. She was staring at him with a wild smile and stopped him about a minute after he began, "Okay, okay. Don't actually start a fire Sam." He looked up at her into her eyes, and for a brief moment he felt his feelings reciprocated. He felt her eyes staring into his with an intensity he had never felt with Quinn. She looked away when she realized the trance, and broke it. Looking out the window, she pulled her iPod out of her bag with the aux cord. "Do you mind if I?" She asked while holding it up looking at him. He still hadn't looked away, and he nodded in response, "Have at it. My radio isn't working anyways." Sam was _desperately_ trying to keep his cool before they got to school.

She connected her aux cord without hesitation and she hit the shuffle button on her iPod. She looked out the window at the snow whizzing by her window as Sam took a longer route to their school, but she didn't bother to correct him. A familiar song came on the shuffle and Mercedes looked over with wide eyes and her mouth slightly opened. Sam turned his head to her quickly with a question, "Justin Bieber?!" His eyes were almost glowing and Mercedes was thoroughly embarrassed. She groaned for a good thirty seconds and covered her face as she did so. Sam's mouth was agape and he couldn't stop switching his vision to the road ahead and to the bashful Mercedes in his passenger seat. "This is my obsession, secretly. I will lie through my teeth if anyone brings it up Evans." She pointed two fingers at her eyes and then at him, signaling she would be watching him. He laughed loudly and answered, promising to keep her secret well kept "No, I love the Biebs. I'm proud to admit it. He is one of the most rock & roll singers alive." He grinned flashing his teeth at her. She was in even more shock now that he had started to sing along perfectly, using a free hand to beat an air drum and occasionally use his dashboard as one. They sang together the entire car ride, with no question about why they loved these songs.

* * *

Arrival at McKinley was like a winter scene taken from a postcard. The fresh fallen snow and the piles of it proved that winter was far more bountiful than in Tennessee. He pulled his truck to a halt, to the closest spot in the front of the main building. There weren't many cars there yet considering there was still a while until classes began. He kept the engine running so the heat could stay on. Mercedes turned her iPod off and gazed out of the window at white wonderland they had arrived to. Sam could tell she was in awe, and he took the opportunity to turn around in his seat and grab his bag from behind it. He pulled out a small red box that he had wrapped her crown trinket in, and placed it in his palms outstretched in her direction. He cleared his throat to signal her to turn around and she did with a quick look in his direction.

Mercedes' mouth was pursed slightly. Her eyes were huge and almost glowing with a red reflection from the small box he held in his hand. He smiled a toothless smile and dodged his head down while still looking up at her, as to motion her to open it. "Sam Evans…" she started but he cut her off, transferring the gift into just one of his hands now, and holding up a finger in the air to shush her. He then took her hands with his free one, and placed the gift into them. She sat for a moment staring down at it, contemplating something that he couldn't discern. He started to explain, seeing her hesitation "Mercedes, you're one of my best friends. You've helped me so much with Quinn and ever since the first day we met, I've known you were an awesome person. I just wanted to get you something to show my gratitude." Sam's mouth kept a smile the entire time he spoke, and Mercedes eyes seemed to be glossy as he did. She put the gift on the dashboard to reach for her bag. Sam's confusion showed in his furrowed brow, but his eyes curious. She pulled out a long velvet box, similar to the kind expensive bracelets are kept in. He was silently praying that wasn't another gift she had bought for him to give to Quinn.

"Mercedes—" he started but was cut off this time when she sprung a small finger, placing it on his lips. He was taken aback and his face grew red hot. She wasn't looking at him, still down at the box she pulled from her backpack, but surely she could feel the heat of his lips increasing. "I thought the same about you." She started, "You've been so nice to me and I love Quinn. Puck and Finn never seemed to realize that I existed, which is fine, but she would ditch me to hang out with them almost every day. Quinn and I aren't as close, but since I've become friends with you I feel our friendship is slowly regrowing. I wanted to thank you for that, Sam." Mercedes looked up, taking her finger off of his lips when she was finished talking. He sat there starstruck, trying to calm his heart about to beat out of his chest. His face was radiating heat, and before he could protest she placed the box in his hands. "You first" she smiled brightly at him, now placing the red box from the dashboard and placing it on her lap. Sam seemed to be frozen in space for a brief moment, in a daze from just her contact. He licked his lips subtly and opened the box. It was a really, really nice watch. One he had never had before. He glazed over it with his eyes, then with his large hand. He looked up in shock, mouth wide open and unable to form words. Mercedes looked at him skeptically afraid he wouldn't like it and started to explain, "Remember last week in the auditorium, I said you needed to invest in a watch because you're always losing track of time?" She let out a low giggle. He sprang from his seat in the most awkward way, hitting his knee on the console in an attempt to hug her. She half hugged him and felt the radiation from his face. He muffled into her hair, breathing in her smell as he did, "This is so unnecessary, but thank you." He pulled back and put his arms on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Thank you so much." He smiled his huge smile in her face trying not to let it show that he wasn't actually quite embarrassed because of his red face, and she broke eye contact looking down at her gift. She waved him off, "Now my turn!" She eagerly opened up the small box and unraveled the wrapping paper.

The small crown sparkled in the sunlight streaming through the dashboard. She picked it up out of the package and tried to keep her jaw from hanging open. Holding it up for him to see, she questioned "From the mall? You actually got me this?" Her eyes were full of wonder and amazement. The crystals sparkled in her reflection and he shrugged with a sly look, trying not to laugh. She playfully punched his arm and put her hand on his leg. Sam looked down suddenly and prayed something wouldn't be happening down there that she could notice. He looked up at her to see her smiling at him in gratitude. "It's wonderful. Thank you so much. You're getting a proper hug when we go out in this cold." He was going to take her up on that offer, and he responded trying to play it off. "It's really nothing compared to all of the things you have helped me with." She rolled her eyes hiding a smile, "Come on Evans, we are going to be late to class." He turned off the cab in response, but before getting out he put on his brand new watch. Mercedes decided to find a place for her trinket later on in the day not wanting it to fall off of her bag if she pinned it onto there. They both opened their doors letting the cool air hit them as they headed for the large building to start off the rest of the school year.

* * *

Sam giving Quinn her present wasn't the least bit as satisfying as giving Mercedes hers. He even set aside a time when they both didn't have class and gave it to her in the privacy of the vast auditorium. Once she stepped onto the stage with him, the atmosphere wasn't sweet like it was with Mercedes. She sat down, accepted his gift, gave him a peck and was off in a matter of no time. Sam wondered what he was doing wrong, because it seemed like his chemistry alignment was only in sync with one girl… and that girl wasn't his girlfriend.

He thought back on that car ride every now and again, although it was a few weeks ago now… he was still in love with the watch she had gotten him. He kind of regretted giving Quinn an ornament because once the holiday season was over it was just going to sit in a box in her attic. He didn't feel too guilty, though, considering Quinn hasn't even gotten him a gift.

Lying in bed, he looked out at the ceiling as the sun was setting. It was February now, and winter still seemed to be hitting them to the fullest effect possible. He was hoping for another glimpse into the mysterious Mercedes Jones' life soon, but they hadn't really had time to hang out with Quinn like hawk, snatching Sam up whenever she was free. He had to be at her beck and call these days. Unsure why, and just trying to shrug it off when he could help it because asking Quinn too many questions is a can of worms he didn't want to open.

Sam spent most of his time thinking about their upcoming Regionals competition. He was nervous but definitely more excited for this competition, considering he wasn't singing the lead this time. He was hoping it would fall into the lap of Mercedes somehow, but with Rachel's big ego he knew that wasn't happening any time soon. A certain holiday was approaching that he wasn't prepared for. He didn't even think about Valentines Day as a real holiday, but Mercedes gushed about it over text a few times. He knew that he wasn't getting Quinn a gift this time around, because he was still a tad bit upset with her for the whole 'not getting him a Christmas gift' thing.

He crawled out of bed to his mirror tussled his hair, staring deep into his green eyes. He should have been the most desirable to Quinn, but an aching feeling approached him when he saw her and Finn talking in the halls one day. He didn't think much of it, but Finn was now starting a kissing booth to raise money for Regionals. He was the star quarterback again, and that meant everyone in school wanted to kiss him. All except for Sam's girlfriend. Tomorrow would be the second day of the kissing booth's operations, and he was going to confront Quinn about what had happened in the hallways that day he saw them a few inches apart. They had a history, but she cheated on him. Whose to say she wouldn't do the same to Sam? He tried to clear his headspace to sleep as he hopped into his bed, but he knew he was just going to wake up with a migraine. He closed his eyes trying to focus on the immense black consuming them now.

* * *

"I've had enough." He was furious. He was thinking aloud, only to himself, but he couldn't help it. Was he hallucinating or was this exactly what he had predicted last night. Quinn was leaning over the kissing booth, nearly kissing distance from Finn's face. He stood, mouth agape behind Finn a few feet away, obscured from Quinn's vision. He was hoping she just gave him a peck and a dollar to help the Glee club, but this was far worse. She was lingering, just staring into his eyes and talking. She was smiling, cooing in awe at the quarterback. A position he had when she agreed to date him.

When Quinn walked away from Finn, the quarterback turned around looking smug with his crooked smile. Sam still stood with his mouth open. He felt his stomach drop low, and his face felt cold. He immediately went to look for Quinn, although she was hard to find because she was running off so quickly. He searched every hallway, every door, until he saw her turn into the corridor of the library. Since he knew her location, he went and decided to cool off in the mens room before he confronted her.

Hiding his face in his hands, he stood at the sink. He felt like his whole world was being torn out, replaced with one where Finn and Quinn got back together. Even though he didn't think he loved Quinn, this still hurt badly. He felt a sting in his eyes and his hands were clammy. He looked up at the mirror and rubbed his eyes until the sting went away. His lips looked puffy, and his face was pale, but he had to go talk to her before he decided to drop it. There was no way this was going to slide.

He saw her looking down at something he assumed to be books. His mouth was slightly open, probably still from the shock and horrifying scene he just saw. He swiveled around, and it felt like eyes were glued to him as he walked over to Quinn. He could barely breathe. His words came out in a raspy mumble, "I saw it. Your guys' faces were like, right up next to each other." The aggression he was feeling finally showed in his voice. Sam was trying his best not to shout. "Kissing distance!" His eyes were dark with anger, and he bore into Quinn's face waiting for her excuse. She tried to play it off like she hadn't heard a word he said. What she was doing must've been _really_ important because it prohibited her from saying a word to him. Not only was he angry now, but he asked with confusion "What are these things?" She answered in the speed of light in her holier-than-thou way, "Called records. People used to listen to music on them. I'm _looking_ for a classic love song to sing to you for our assignment because _despite_ your confusion about the matter you are the _only_ guy I am ever within kissing distance of." She didn't look at him once in the eyes while saying it, putting emphasis on words as if to make him feel guilty. As if he was just making all of this up for fun. He quickly ran to the other side of the table so she would be forced to look at him in the eyes. "Uh huh." Sam started, still anger in his tone, "So answer me this then, why haven't you kissed Finn at his booth yet?"

Quinn looked at him, with fury in her eyes and a slight hint of guilt. Maybe she thought he couldn't see it, but he could. Her acidic tone came back for a second round, "Okay first you're all up in my business _for_ kissing Finn and now you're pissed at me for not kissing him—" he cut her off with a shout. His hands animated his confusion and frustration, "It's odd! Something seems fishy I mean—" Sam couldn't believe the girl was laughing in his face right now. A nervous laugh that required her throat to cut and inhale a few times over. She started again before he could finish his sentence, "This is insane!" She looked at him dead in the eyes and lied.

The old librarian behind the desk yelled out a loud "SH!" Quinn looked down at the records again, and then dove back into his eyes when he didn't say anything for a brief moment. He couldn't believe this was happening. He felt the sting in his eyes again as the next words were forced out of him, like a moment of truth he never wanted to come to. "Everyone thinks I'm dumb." He looked at her, his eyes now steaming. She whispered, "Not everyone—-" but he cut her off before she could finish. "But I'm not." Sam looked at her matter-of-factly. He wasn't going to let Quinn walk all over him. Her face had dropped when he said that, but he wasn't backing down. "At least, not about you." He continued on as Quinn's face grew more pale word by word. "You like being ambitious, and you like being the Queen Bee. You _think_ being with star quarterback Finn Hudson is going to just, like, put you back on the top." He felt his face grow hot. "Pretty, but I ain't dumb."

Quinn looked up, now smiling with a glitter of revenge in her eye, "Fine. You know what? Right after Glee club today, I'm kissing Finn." She turned and walked away as his mouth stayed open for a long time. He wasn't sure what just happened, but somehow he just may have ended this all for good. Did he even want it after all of this?

The rest of the dray dragged on like something awful. He was glancing at his watch every few minutes, sometimes seconds, until the bell rang and he could go to witness the kiss he was now forcing Quinn to do.

Once it hit, he sprinted to the door and flew down the hallway to where Finn's booth was situated. He saw Quinn was already there and ready with her dollar. She slammed it on the table with a fury, but was smiling at Finn as she did it. Sam was running, trying to catch his breath. He cried out, "Wait! I—I want to see this." He saw Finn's smile disappear as he approached him. He looked more confused than ever at the out of breath Sam peering at both of them. Finn looked at him confusedly, "Pervert?" Sam's teeth ground as he answered with anger in his voice. "I prefer chaperone… and also boyfriend." Finn's eyebrows raised, but didn't question him further. He looked back down at Quinn who had her lips puffed out and her eyes were burning into Finn. She had never given Sam that look before.

Sam watched has Finn bent down and locked lips with his girlfriend. The heat emanated off of them both and it made his stomach churn. The kiss was only a brief second, but the pause that lingered after gave him a feeling of jealousy. He saw their faces flushed, eyes wide set, mouths agape looking at each other. Quinn thought Sam was too stupid to notice it, but the fireworks in their eyes could be seen by a blind man. She looked over to the tall blond, who was seemingly dwarfed by Finn. She perked up and acted like nothing serious had just happened. "Satisfied?" She asked him as he was patting his hands on his legs, waiting impatiently so he could go crawl off and be alone somewhere. He replied a quick, "Yeah. Let's go." They both turned down the hallway and walked together. Sam starting babbling uncontrollably, as to fight the urge to puke he had right then and there. "SO… I took a look at those records— In the library. They looked cool." He started to say but she quickly stopped him, "Hey! I forgot my purse… uh.. one second." He didn't have time to respond as Quinn was literally running to Finn's booth. He awkwardly stared at the hallway in front of him as he tried to ignore what just happened. He heard a murmur of noise, nothing else, and he just started to walk alone. Quinn didn't even question him, but rather took a separate route.

He wandered for a long time until he eventually ended up in his truck, ready to go home and sleep for an entire month. The feeling of today was one that he never would forget. It was the feeling of heartbreak, and he didn't know what to do. His first girlfriend was seemingly messing with his mind, and now she was surely going to choose Finn over him. He sat distraught by himself, laying his head down on the steering wheel.


	7. It Takes Two

Sam is in a rough space in his life. He had Quinn on his arm, but for how long? Did he even want this? Despite the odds, rock and roll comes in strange forms and just might help a jumpstart in a new direction.

* * *

 _Two For Mono_

He heard a stifled cough and nearly jumped from his chair. It was a few days after Valentines Day and he was situated next to his girlfriend in the school library and Mercedes sat across from them, next to Kurt. They all looked up concerned that Quinn was going to hack her lungs out right onto their Geometry homework. Mercedes eyes were wide set, and her lips were tucked in. Quinn started to wave her off as she knew her next move was to come over and help, which she did after arising from her chair silently. Sam patted Quinn on the back to help soothe her but it seemed to make things worse. Kurt has a disgusted look on his face and looked over to Sam, then to Mercedes… trying to find the victim who would walk Quinn to the nurse's office. "Mercedes… why don't you walk her to the nurse." Kurt tried to remain quiet but it was hard talking over the loud sounds Quinn was emitting. Sam began to get up, to volunteer in her place, "No, no. I got this. Here Quinn let me help you up—" Quinn waved her boyfriend off now. She tried to choke out a response that came out muffled, "No… I-I want Merc—-" Mercedes huffed and took her hand, tired of her wasting time to explain it. "It's okay, come on. Lets go. The nurse will help." She helped Quinn out of the chair, and she was looking greener by the minute. Mercedes tried to whisper to Sam, but it came out as a shout. "Don't worry Sam, everything's fine. We'll be back in no time." He hadn't noticed but his face was beet red, and his eyes glossed over. A few days ago he had wished some pretty horrible things on Quinn, when he thought she was cheating on him with Finn. If he had caused this in any way… He couldn't even think of it without his stomach churning. Mercedes squeezed Sam's arm on her way out of the library, toting Quinn who was holding her stomach and visibly fighting off a spew rising.

Sam sat back down and looked blankly at the now empty seat in front of him while Kurt was texting, no doubt to Blaine, about what had just happened. He heard the "send" noise emit from Kurt's phone and now felt his eyes burning into him sideways, from across the table. "I sure hope you guys haven't kissed much this past week, that did _not_ look good." He added a remark of sass and Sam was reeling. He threw his books in his back in a rush, and didn't even answer Kurt's questions of where he was going. Scattering down the halls and almost to the nurse's office he saw a desolate Mercedes walking away. He was behind her, but he could see her shoulder's hung low and her head with them. Sam walked as fast as his feet would allow, and broke into a half run when he was finally near her. She stopped and turned around at the sound, and he could see she was pale in complexion. She looked up into his green eyes burning into her, just staring with no words. He looked down at her, wondering if she was worried for Quinn or she had just seen a ghost.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" He questioned her without a second thought. Seeing her like this tore him apart, and he would analyze that later. He grabbed her shoulders and looked down at her and she nodded, "I'm fine… but Sam…" His lips pursed for a brief moment and then they were open again, "Is Quinn okay?" He let go of her shoulders and turned to look through the door of the nurse's office, unsure if he wanted to. Mercedes quickly grabbed his arm and he swiveled around, his brow furrowed in confusion. There was a small faux-leather bench outside of the office Mercedes pulled him to. He sat without question, and without breaking his fixation on her face. They sat a good length apart, but she had her hand on his knee as soon as they sat down. She looked down at the ground and he was pleading her silently to tell him what was going on.

"When I took Quinn in there… It was fine until I heard a loud cough behind the curtain. I didn't think anything of it, but then I heard her arguing with him." She didn't look up at Sam as she spoke, but his eyes were glued on her. "Quinn thought I had already left after the nurse took her back, but I was going to wait until she gave me some details so I could text you and Kurt what was wrong. You both seemed worried about her, you especially." Sam gulped loudly, making Mercedes peek up from the floor. She looked at his green eyes as they hardened, and his face was tight. She could tell the selling of his lips and his eyelids growing heavy. "It was Finn… I heard her say that he had given her something…" Mercedes didn't finish her sentence, and Sam could feel his insides churning. His heart felt swollen with grief. He grabbed on Mercedes hand to keep his balance in the seat, and he looked at the ceiling so she wouldn't see the mist his eyes were trying to produce. He choked out a response, "Oh." He sat perfectly still there, although his feet were telling him to get up and run, she was keeping him grounded there now reciprocating the grip on his hand. They didn't speak for a few minutes, and Mercedes tried her best not to look at him now visibly upset. The bell rang for their study hall period to be over, but she sat there as long as Sam was. He finally lowered his eyesight to her playing with his palm, which tickled a bit. He closed his hand around hers, and stood up abruptly pulling her up with him. She protested with a question, "Sam—?" He let go of her hand and explained, "I'll walk you to lunch. We'll be early, but I just have to get my mind off of this." Mercedes nodded in agreeance, opting not to lock arms with him on the way to the cafeteria. They walked in a comfortable silence that they silently decided would be best for Sam right now.

* * *

 _Two Weeks Later_

The spring air hit Sam in the fullest effect it could. He walked out beaming in the sunlight waiting for the inevitable cold to hit, but it never did. Was Lima finally warming up? He looked down at his winter boots and his heavy jacket that he wore as a ritual, as every day since October has been a winter nightmare. He looked down at his watch then, after careful analyzation of his clothes, and decided that he had a few minutes to spare to change. he opted for a light blue collared shirt with khakis. His new haircut was obvious as he bounced to his truck parked in front of his house. His mom gave him compliments, and Mercedes gave the thumbs up when he texted her pictures. The only one who hadn't seen it was Quinn, but she wouldn't forget it after today.

He had been preparing something huge to win her back. He was on the right track after she agreed to Color Me Mine this upcoming Friday, and she giggled lovingly at him. At least he thought it was loving. Shrugging off his insecurities was hard to do these days, but he knew that he couldn't back down from Quinn. He was on the top with her for a brief instance in time, and he knew they could get it back.

It was March now, and with spring in full effect there were bat-mitzvahs around every corner. He tested out the waters for his plan to win Quinn back, which accompanied his new haircut. He replayed the joy in Mercedes response when he told her about his new one man act.

 _"get this mercy, its called: the justin bieber experience. u like?" He had laughed hard while sending it, because it did seem ridiculous written down. She responded in a matter of seconds. "sam—i mean justin. this is amazing. i HAVE to see u perform." He beamed at the phone in his hands as if she was standing before him. "OH u will. the choir room tomorrow, be4 my date with q im going to perform bby" He hit send and then realized the error of his ways. He quickly corrected himself, "perform the song baby by the biebs" His face was red hot from his error in syntax. It seemed like eons before she responded. "cannot wait! is flash photography allowed? :p" He sunk in his chair at his desk, hallowed by her words and his heart swooning._

He entered McKinley brave, searching for the blonde in a crowd of students trying to hurry to their first class. She immediately stood out, splitting the sea of people, coming forth to him. When he saw her wearing a slouched beanie, he went in for a kiss on her cheek. She smiled up at him half-heartedly with question in her eyes at the sudden gesture. He broke the awkward silence first. "So are we still on for Color Me Mine this Friday?" He asked jokingly, because she seemed eager to go when he asked her last week but Quinn looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. "Wait… You were actually serious about that?" His chest felt sunken in at his sudden rejection, from his own girlfriend no less. He tried to play it off cool, "Come on, it's painting coasters time." His charm rolled off of his tongue, but it didn't seem to phase Quinn. She looked up at him with her mouth agape, almost horrorstruck as if he just suggested they go out and murder someone. She kept her mouth open as Sam tried to save this date he had been planning for. "So…We good? For Friday?" His eyes felt like they were going to burn a hole into hers as she just stared at him in response. Quinn collected herself and answered still with the same snarky tone that she tried to lighten with a fake smile, "Yeah, I think so." His eyes dropped down, and she noticed. "I mean I don't have anything else to do." Finishing her statement, he smiled at her not hiding the hopelessness in his eyes. "Cool." He mumbled as he went in to peck her cheek again.

Quinn walked away, still with a look on her face of confusion. Sam surely was feeling uncertain now, as he channeled his inner monologue to run through his thoughts. What was he doing wrong? Things had been weird since Quinn got mono a few weeks back, which he _thought_ was from her cheating on him with Finn. That's what everyone kept telling him, but he wanted to believe her story. He thought back to the conversation he had with her in the choir room.

 _Sam's expression was rock hard as he sat next to Quinn on the piano bench. They both stared at the wall ahead of him as he asked the question he didn't want to know the answer to. "Are you cheating on me?" He asked with a tone of despair, not even daring say her name. She didn't answer. "Did you kiss him?" He asked the question again rephrased. She didn't answer for quite some time, but he kept his eyes glued to the wall ahead of him. She started in what seemed like a choked mumble, gradually getting more high pitch as she spoke. Quinn spoke like Sam was a child and she had to spell it out to him. "I didn't kiss Finn, Sam." She said it matter of factly, "I saved his life."_

 _Sam stood up and swiveled around to lean on the piano as she finished her last statement. He burned his eyes into hers, angry couldn't begin to describe what he was feeling. He nodded at her to continue on. She gulped visibly and looked down at the keys where her hands were resting. "He was at his kissing booth stand, and he took one of those gum balls he had in a jar and started to chew it. It must've… slipped down his throat or something because he started choking!" She was becoming visibly upset when Sam's face lightened. "Knowing how to resuscitate someone, I couldn't just stand by. He was choking!" He looked down at his hands that were folded on the back of the piano. Her imagining scooping out a gum ball from Finn Hudson's throat, with her tongue, had him on the verge of panic. He looked at her and tried to reassure her that he wasn't suspicious anymore, and that he was going to let it slide. He answered her story with a quick one of his own, "I totally understand I almost choked on a gumboil once." He looked desolate, and he could tell her sigh of relief meant that she was lying through her teeth. He thought he would've heard about the star quarterback choking on a damn piece of gum at his kissing booth. Lima is a small town, and Quinn would've been crowned a hero for doing that. He smiled at her once more, a fake smile painted broadly, and walked out of the choir room with his heart in between his feet._

He knew that Quinn was into him. Who wouldn't be? But Sam just couldn't help to think he was losing her. "I can't let that happen." Sam said it almost between his teeth as he thought of Finn and Quinn together again. The way she immediately spots him in a crowd like he once did for her made his teeth grind as a reflex. He knew he had some feelings for… someone… too, but he'd never cheat while in a relationship. Ever. He felt lost, hopeless as he walked the halls, placing his letterman jacket on as he walked. It was a spring day, but Sam felt a chill down his spine. He thought Quinn had been the best thing that happened to him since he got to McKinley. She had helped him with his reputation, helped him with his first sectionals competition, helped him just by being his first girlfriend ever. He realized the Justin Bieber Experience would be his saving grace with Quinn a few days ago. After his practice at the bat-mitzvahs and the reassurance from Mercedes, he was prepared to rock her socks off.

Before Glee practice that day, Sam took extra time to comb his new hairstyle into place. He looked at himself and winked in the mirror, even his green eyes were dazzled by what he saw. He put his comb away and pulled the purple hoodie from his bag, replacing it with the letterman's jacket he sported. He knew he had to do this. Who was more rock and roll than Justin Bieber? He remembered Mercedes' iPod playing him on their car ride in the snow. Surely if Mercedes liked him, Quinn would practically swoon. He looked into the mirror once more before leaving the locker room and said a little hype speech for his mood. "Heads up Quinn Fabray. You're about to be dazzled with the full, blond Bieber." He spun on his tip toes again and scattered, knowing that Glee club was meeting soon. He couldn't wait to show off what he's got.

* * *

 _The Experience_

It was far from quiet when he arrived in the choir room. He immediately sat in the front row. He slowly took a peek back at a starstruck Mercedes. She was smiling uncontrollably at his new look, and he threw a quick wink her way. He blushed down at her shoes and when she looked up, he was still looking at her. She flashed him a quick thumbs up as Quinn came in the room, trying to play it cool he threw his arm around her chair and she gave him a weird up and down. She shrugged and tapped his hand that was on her shoulder. He looked back at Mercedes again who was mouthing something along the lines of, "Good luck". He turned to face Mr. Schue impatiently who was dealing with another one of Sue Sylvester's shenanigans. Sam tried his best to listen to the announcement explaining why she was there, but he zoned out until the end.

"This years theme: Anthem." Sam took this as his cue. It was now or never. Mr. Schue kept talking, and Sam waited for a spot to interrupt him. "Now who can tell me what an anthem is?" brittany Pierce said something with a whimper, facing the inevitable answer that she was wrong. "The bottom of an ants pants." Sam tried not to roll his eyes at the ridiculousness of her answer. Mr. Schue nicely explained, "So close Brittany. An anthem is a groundbreaking song. A song that gives a swell of emotion that seems bigger than itself. He raised his hand to everyones surprise, excluding Mercedes who he told about his plan, and began a small speech. "Mr. Schue?" He rose without an answer and flipped his hair to the side in a Bieber style. "He received a smile form the teacher, "Oh, hey Sam. I didn't even.. notice your new haircut." Sam smiled and stood in front of his peers, preparing to bring the house down with his anthem. He explained the hoodie and the hair, "Yeah. I'm working on a new image to go with my new band: The Justin Bieber Experience." He beamed at Mercedes, then Quinn. He hear her mumble, "You've got to be kidding me…." Sam tried not to let that crush his spirit, but it was hard. The beautiful short girl was smiling at him in awe and the girl he was trying to impress was embarrassed by him.

Sam stood there, keeping a smile on his face by some strange feat. It was then Puck decided to push it even further, and make a comment. There was no doubt in his mind he still had a thing for Quinn, and his next words were probably anger targeted at him due to that. "Somehow… with that haircut…. it makes your mouth look even bigger." Puck was wearing the same strange look that he had on the first time Sam sang for the Glee club. He tried to shake it off, and was about to comment on his mohawk when an unusual voice erupted from the far left. It was a Sue Sylvester, who, despite depression still found a way to kick dirt into other peoples faces. "Let her speak." Sue said with an arm raised at Puck, as to hold him back from across the room. A laugh erupted from his friends in the stands and he had enough. Sam decided to ignore all of the comments… even his girlfriends…

" Laugh all you want.." he tried to shake it off, "That kids an epic talent. And there is a number that I've been… working on… I want to show off." He looked around at the confused faces of his peers, some still trying to stifle their laughs. "I think this song qualifies as an anthem, because it's just hugely emotional and it sums up our generation." He looked at Quinn now as he spoke, and she was making a face as though she tasted sour milk. Sam hoped what he did next would change that into a smile. Mr. Schue exited the center stage and allowed Sam to step forth. He grabbed a guitar and strummed the first chords…

 _"Oh oh oh oh."_

 _He kept strumming as he walked forward to Quinn._

 _"Oh oh oh ohhh."_

 _He tried to run the notes longer to show off his talent._

 _"Oh oh oh oh-oh-oh… You know you love me, you know you care._

 _Just shout whenever, and I'll be there._

 _You want my love, you want my heart._

 _And we will never, ever, ever be apart."_

He looked into Quinn's eyes as he sang and her confusion looked as though it was growing. Simultaneously, he heard Tina ecstatic. "This is actually a really good song." Her smile was so wide that Finn looked over in confusion. Sam hoped he was starting to realize that he needs to back off of Quinn.

He slowly backed away from Quinn now as the first lines ended, and put down the guitar behind him with gusto. The drums and electric piano started now taking its place. He walked with a hard strut up to Quinn now, singing in full force… and singing lyrics that applied to both of them.

 _"Are we an item?_

 _Girl quit playin'_

 _We're just friends?_

 _What are you saying?"_

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to him as he sang. He was desperately trying hard not to let his eye wander to see Mercedes' reaction to the number.

 _"Said there's another and looked into my eye_

 _My first love broke my heart for the first time_

 _And I was like"_

He almost leaped backwards out of his chair not to miss his cue. He was wiggling his hips and doing every move he had practiced.

 _"Baby, baby, baby, oh!_

 _Like baby, baby, baby, no!_

 _Like baby, baby, baby, oh!_

 _I thought you'd always be mine."_

Quinn's eyes lit up when she was the center of attention. She shyly looked over her shoulders, pretending to be bashful and not expectant of the world to kiss her feet.

 _"Ohhh for you, I would've done whatever_

 _And I just can't believe we ain't together._

 _And I want to play it cool…_

 _But I'm losing you._

He was on top of the piano now, spinning and sliding about, pointing to his ring finger.

 _"I'll buy you anything_

 _I'll buy you any ring_

 _And I'm in pieces,_

 _Baby fix me!"_

He shook is jacket with the next few lines.

 _"And just shake me til' you wake me from this bad dream."_

He prepared himself for a drop with the lyrics.

 _"I'm going down,_

 _down,_

 _down,_

 _down."_

He was on the ground, proud he pulled off a flawless drop down.

 _"And I just can't believe my first love won't be around! And I'm like…_

 _Baby, baby, baby, oh!_

 _Like baby, baby, baby, no!_

 _Like baby, baby, baby, oh!_

 _I thought you'd always be mine…_

 _I'm gooone._

 _Oh I'm gone._

 _Oh I'm gone, gone, gone—-_

 _I'm gone."_

He lifted his hoodie with the last line, and cracked a smirk no girl could resist. Sam stood breathless after his intense dance routine and reaped in the rewards that Bieber fever was cashing him. Almost every girl in the room was shouting and singing along, while the guys sat awkwardly in some sort of jealous pout. It was especially noticeable on Finn. Santana was fanning herself by the end and Mercedes' looked like she was a new shade of red. There was no way Quinn could resist him now.

* * *

 _One Man Band Expanded_

After the Bieber Experience finished his last performance, he decided to go to the locker rooms to wash his face. He was so hyped up from performing, and being so adored, he felt a surge of adrenaline run through him that made his face hot. He would text Mercedes later asking what she thought, even though he already knew the answer.

He ducked down into the cold tap water, oblivious to the foot steps approaching. It was a throat clear and Mike Chang's low voice that pulled him up for air. "We want in." He said it matter of factly as if that was guaranteed access to the greatest band in existence. Sam was cocky on his adrenaline high, and he didn't care. "In what?" He asked pretending as if he didn't already know. The Justin Bieber Experience." Artie had a tone of urgency, like if he wasn't granted access right there, he just might explode. Sam slouched against the sink and crossed his ankles, milking the moment when the guys came to him for help instead of Finn. "It's a one man-band, sorry fellas." He crossed his arms and tried to hide the grin forming on his large lips. Mike had a sense of urgency now, too. "Then expand!" Sam's wave of adrenaline was running out, and his impatience was starting to replace it. He wanted them to grovel, but he let slip out exactly what he was thinking. "Okay, like, two minutes ago you guys were making fun of me for liking Justin Bieber. Now you want in?" He looked at all of them looking for an apology, but of course never found one. Puck began to explain for them now, "That's because we underestimated the power of the Biebs." Mike added on directly after, "He's clearly like… a mini- God." Now it was Artie's turn, "Look how you made all those chicks melt in Glee club. Think about the power of four Biebers. We would be unstoppable." Sam looked reproachful, but smiled despite his battle not to. The guys were rambling on about Valentine's Day and he tuned them out to think about it himself. He stopped his thought train when Mike abruptly said, "We need us a sugary sweet jolt of the Biebs. Stat." Sam saw Finn enter the locker room from the corner of his eye. He slouched down further and flicked his hair to make it seem like he was the bad boy leader of his gang, now groveling at his feet for permission. Finn came over quickly, no hesitation. "What's going on here?" He asked almost panicked, definitely confused.

Artie answered with hope in his voice. "We're joining the Justin Bieber Experience… if Sam is cool with it." Artie looked at Sam for an answer, but he didn't give one. Not yet. He still wanted to milk the situation. Puck interjected, "If not, we're starting our own band. Bieber Fever." Finn looked like he was taken aback with confusion, almost looking over exaggerated. He responded in a tone made of acid, "Wait… don't you guys realize that Justin Bieber sucks? You know that right?" Sam looked up at the towering quarterback beneath his blond bangs to scowl at him. He couldn't hold back longer, finally ready to confront Finn for his side of the mess that was made. Sam responded in a way that stung Finn, "Quinn seemed to be pretty into it when I was singing to her." He thought he had caught him but Finn rebounded, "Right. Well I'm going to go work on songs that aren't geared towards twelve-year olds." Sam caught Finn's shoulder before he could turn away to look him in the eyes as he responded, "Good. Then you wont have time to pick up any other guy's girlfriends." Finn looked at him almost convincingly as he kept up the charade of the hero Quinn who saved him from a gum ball. "Back off dude, I didn't kiss your girlfriend. She saved my life." The perspiration forming on Finn's forehead proved the lie wasn't holding much merit. The grimace Finn had as he was released from his grasp proved that Sam was right not to believe the story.

He had momentarily forgot about the three witnesses that stood before him with a burning question. Puck asked a final time, "So, can we join?" Sam nodded slowly not looking at him, opting to keep his eye on Finn as he left the locker room. Once he left, he looked at Puck. "Fine. But we have got to do something with Puck's hair. It's a mess."

He tried to fight the urge to run away from the mess that was his life currently. He opted instead to walk to the costumes kept for the Glee club with the guys to see if there were different colored hoodies for them to wear. And a wig for Puck. They gathered their equipment and a small fight from Puck that was quickly extinguished when Sam reminded him how much chicks' dig the hair. He showed him a few ways to flip it, and he was actually better than expected. Sam looked upon his small kingdom of Biebers like a king. He felt proud for a moment, but also kind of weirded out by the fact they were copying a guy who was a few years younger than themselves to get girls' attention. He shook off his nerves and his doubt, and paraded the halls with his new squad of Biebers.

They all mutually agreed one of the most heart-throb songs the Biebs had ever put out was "Somebody to Love". With Mike's choreography, they would no doubt have the girls in puddles. Walking into Glee club again as the Biebs, the felt like a God. Despite Quinn being into him, something felt wrong about it. She was finally liking Sam, but only for the outfit he was wearing and the haircut he was rocking. Now, with her eyes glued onto him, he started to wonder why he wanted her back at all. Not only was it Finn feeling irritable when the new Justin Bieber Experience walked into the Glee club together, but Mercedes mumbled something about tickets to crazy town. She loves the Bieber, but maybe she had to put up a tough game and pretend she hated it so no one would be the wiser. Sam pondered it as he got ready for his next performance.

The hoodie wearing blond stood before the crowd as the representative for the group. "So like any other song I may play, this next one is dedicated to my girlfriend." Once he said it he could hear the sickly sweet coos and looks to Quinn who was smiling again to be the center of attention. They got into their spots and began the iconic "Somebody to Love" by no other than the Biebs. Artie took the lead this time,

 _For you I'd write a symphony,_

 _I'd tell the violin,_

 _It's time to sink or swim,_

 _Watch them play for ya,_

 _For you I'd be, (whoa oh)_

 _Running a thousand miles,_

 _Just to get to where you are._

 _Step to the beat of my heart,_

 _I don't need a whole lot,_

 _But for you I admit I,_

 _I'd rather give you the world,_

 _Or we can share mine,_

 _I know I won't be the first one,_

 _giving you all this attention,_

 _Baby listen,_

 _I just need somebody to love,_

 _I don't need too much, just somebody to love,_

 _Somebody to love._

 _I don't need nothing else,_

 _I promise girl I swear,_

 _I just need somebody to love._

 _I need somebody, I need somebody,_

 _I need somebody, I need somebody_

 _Every day,_

 _I bring the sun around,_

 _I sweep away the clouds,_

 _Smile for me._

 _I would take,_

 _Every second, every single time,_

 _Spend it like my last dime._

 _I need somebody, I need somebody,_

 _I need somebody, I need somebody_

 _I need somebody to love._

The performance was a killer. Everyone was totally in love with the Justin Bieber Experience, especially Quinn. She approached him after the performance to confirm that they were in fact on for this Friday coming up for Color Me Mine. He stood there anxious and excited his plan had actually worked. His new band was slowly winning Quinn back right before Sam's eyes. He was lost in his own world wrapped up in the news, so much so that he didn't hear the loud clicks of heels approaching behind him. The familiar voice of a Latina brought him out of his daze. "Sammy Evans." He looked over at her confused but kind. She started again, "You were Biebalicious." He was about to thank her, but then he realized there must be an ulterior motive for even acknowledging him. He was looking at her suspiciously now, and before he could respond she opened her mouth again, "So how are things going with Quinn?" Her dark as night eyes were looking directly into his soul. He answered abruptly, still kind of scared of Santana. "Fine.." he said trying to keep his cool. She looked at him with a smile that could melt ice directly placed next to her. "No they're not. You and I… we should talk soon." She flashed him a wink and walked out of the room leaving him by himself with his thoughts. "What the hell was that?" He mumbled into the silence.

* * *

 _Comeback_

Sam had agreed to meet with Santana at the library. He knew she was up to something ever since she stayed behind to ask him to hang out. Well, she more demanded it. They both decided the library was as good a spot as anywhere, and plopped down next to each other ready to get started on some homework. It was an awkward silence with Santana, similar to Quinn. There was virtually no common interests to strike up a conversation about except for his girlfriend. Sam decided, instead, to test out the waters and break the silence with an impression. "This morning, I woke up. Decided to swallow the sun." As soon as he said it, he painted a smile on his face to try to charm her. She opened her mouth in a disgusted way and shook her head. He attempted to explain, "That's my James Earl Jones impression." He assumed that she would catch on after that and appreciate it, and he was wrong not unlike other times he has tried out impressions on girls and been shot down or made fun of. She looked at him with a glitter of rage in her eyes, about to tell him off no doubt. "First of all, that is offensive. He shot Martin Luther King you know." Her glare burned through him but he couldn't keep down the Darth Vader impression stirring in his lungs, and he had to let it out. "Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father." He sat there looking satisfied, and trying to keep back a chuckle that would surely get him kicked from the library.

Santana threw her hands up in exacerbation. "Okay, you know what? Let's just cut to the chase." Sam kept a smirk on as she talked though her words were like daggers, "Despite the fact your mouth to face ratio is a joke…you're still cute." He smiled a wide smile at her, "But make no mistake, overtime those gigantic gums open, you're taking a step to the edge you don't want to fall off of." He looked at his hands confused. "What are you talking about?" He said not looking up, frankly embarrassed the mouth jokes were continuous day to day. "You're actually a huge dork." Santana looked him in the face unashamed to tell him the truth, and he could admire that about her no matter how bad the truth made him feel. She continued without missing a beat, "Which is why I have a proposition for you. Let me be your dirty mistress. I wants on them big lips. I wants on them now." Sam stared at the Latina in shock, and tried to hide the blush in his face. "But I'm dating Quinn" he stated calmly. Santana was sick of hearing about Quinn no doubt. "For the last time, this isn't breaking news." She mocked a TV reporter, "This just in! She cheated on you." He looked at her, trying to convince her of something that he wasn't even convinced of himself, "No she didn't." The words seemed impossible to get out, but he had to defend his reputation, even if she did cheat on him he didn't want to look like an idiot. "Look, I know you're dumb as a bag of hair…" Ouch. He tried to listen to the rest without rolling his eyes. "But even you know in your heart that she's lying. That gum ball story was freaking insane." He looked down at his hands again, now realizing that everyone must know what's going on. Her next words hit him like a train. "You're choosing to believe it so that you can stay with her." He sat for a short minute evaluating everything she was saying. "This is your chance to show pastry bag Finn that the can't mess with Sam Evans. Not because you can swallow him whole with that humongous mouth of yours, but because you actually have some buzz at this god damn school." Even though she was evil, she was being genuine to him. She left without giving him a chance to answer, and he sat for a few more minutes by himself. Who was he kidding? He was insane to stay with Quinn. She may be pretty, but there is a swoon for Sam Evans and she was taking him for granted. Maybe Santana isn't exactly… perfect… either, but she was able to help him sort out this mess, no matter her reasons behind the help she just gave him. He sighed to himself coming to the realization that his relationship was over.

Sam had slumped over his locker like this before, but not for this reason. He was looking into his mirror desperately trying to work up the courage of what needed to be done. Fixing his hair, refining it. Smiling, scowling, pretending to cry. He tried every expression in a matter of seconds before he knew Quinn would inevitably walk up. Bracing himself was an understatement. He knew how Quinn's temperament could get in a matter of seconds, and he was quite frankly glad to be done with the mood swings.

He felt her approach behind him and swallowed as much air as he could, sighing into his locker. He turned to see her dressed as Rachel Berry, which made him grimace. "Hey."" She played off a smile and a lighter than air voice. For once, he felt nothing when she spoke. It was like a high pitch sound you want to turn off before you get a migraine from listening to it. He looked up at her with a blank expression that she didn't even notice and continued with her question, "Do you think I could borrow a t-shirt to use at Color Me Mine for our date? I kind of have a thing for wearing my boyfriend's shirt." He looked at her and narrowed in on her eyes. How could she be so oblivious to the fact that he was being cold and distant to her? He paused for a minute to refrain from cursing her, and closed his eyelids tight before opening them to respond. "We aren't going to Color Me Mine." He saw her face drop slightly and went in for the kill. "And I'm not your boyfriend." He slammed his locker shut to accentuate his point, and he could swear he heard her stomach drop with it. The tall blond began to walk away, in shock of what he had just done. She began to chase after him with question, seemingly on the brink of tears. "Wait—-why?" He turned to face her, as to stop her from following him further. "You cannot honestly look me in the face right now, and tell me you didn't make-out with Finn."

She stopped for a moment to think about her next move. She opted for the fake crying with glossy eyes and quivering lips. Attempting to speak a few times with no words coming out, she finally managed to say "I want to be with you, Sam." He looked at her and cursed himself to the highest degree. He felt a tinge of sympathy and he wanted to squash it down by playing Mr. Forgiveness. "Forget it okay? No harm. No foul." She stood there with her mouth open in shock as he continued. "Oel ngati kameie." He let it slip out and then quickly corrected himself. "Crap. Santana told me to stop speaking N'avi." Quinn's voice came out in a choked response. "Since when is Santana telling you what to do?" It seemed as though since Sam Evans got to McKinley he was in a fight against all of the women who wanted to control him. Quinn was now visibly upset she had lost that title. He smiled at her, genuinely glad to be hurting her feelings. "Since we started going out a few hours ago." This was a lie, but he knew it was going to finish her off and kill any chances of a future together. He was glad to be rid of her, and he could finally admit it. Sam walked away from Quinn and left her in the middle of the hallway by herself. She might have been crying, but right now, in that moment, Sam didn't care. He was tired of being walked on.

The rest of the day was a blur to Sam. He sat next to Santana in Glee club who switched between sitting on his lap, playing with his hair, or swinging her legs on top of his. She was dressed as Rachel Berry which he didn't understand but went with for the sake of crazy days. He had switched out of his Justin Bieber hoodie and now wore his classic blue with yellow striped pullover. He looked at the floor, trying to remember the order or the day's events. It hurt his head getting everything muddled together, and just decided to sit quietly and stare at Mr. Schue's feet as he talked before them. He heard a faint whisper from across the room that he couldn't make out at first, but then realized it was Mercedes trying to be nonchalant to Tina. "Since when is that a thing?" She was looking directly at him no doubt, and his stomach felt like it had exited his body from dropping so hard. He hadn't seen Mercedes all day and he got so caught up with Quinn's drama and Santana's throwing herself at him that he hadn't texted her all day. He looked over abruptly to see her position switch and she was now watching Mr. Schue. He felt the Earth shifting, every ounce of it falling onto his shoulders as he recounted the entire day now play by play. He remembered telling her that she'd receive a text later, and it got completely lost in the rough. Sam would make it up to her. He had to. She was the only constant in his life now and he knew that without Mercedes as his friend anymore, he truly wouldn't make it through that.

* * *

 _AN: Longest chapter written thus far! Also one of the most painful I had to write. Sam deserves better, and he will get it soon enough. When will Sam realize he just needs to stay away from Cheerios and follow his heart?_

 _Thank you all again for the reviews~~_


	8. Day In Retrograde

_Retrograde_

The perilous arrival of Santana Lopez in Sam's life hit him like a truck. He wasn't immune to her sultry glances before the exposition of his one man band, and with Quinn aside she was in full on pursuit. Over the span of a day he had lost his girlfriend which he was thankful for ultimately, and gained the fiery Latina in her place. How that happened was unbeknownst to him. It was a bit like feeling the loneliness of a lost puppy. The large green eyes that always looked clouded was attractive to girls. They all wanted their turn to love Sam but never wanted the task of keeping him. Being ogled at for his colossal lips and bright blond hair made him feel special at first… but the only thing that kept his head above water was as secretive and legitimate like an unwritten law. The attention he so desperately sought from one girl overtook him almost as suddenly as she came into his life.

The nagging feeling of unprotected thoughts drew on him. Even if it was a fever dream of an incoherent mind, the urge to not think her name overcame him. He couldn't help but wonder if this had to do with Santana's mention of a Mexican third-eye that she hid incredulously under her high pony. The deliriousness of his thoughts became more intense as the days went by being Santana's boyfriend. Sam must've imagined the the group text he got pulled into originating from Rachel's phone number inviting him and the entire Glee club to her house for a party. Had Rachel even had a sip of beer? There was something in the air at McKinley that had them in retrograde.

He decided to go after seeing a certain person in the group chat say they would be in attendance, and nearly cancelling when he saw his ex-girlfriend type a quick response after. It was like being torn in half, on other sides of different galaxies. One person who could make his whole day and the other who could destroy it. Sam hadn't heard from Quinn since their less than amicable departure from one another. She had taken the hint that his heart no longer yearned for her, and seemingly accepted the fate of "Samtana."

A text appeared from his least favorite person a few minutes before leaving his house, and with an unsettling gulp Sam opened it to see what Quinn wanted. "no hard feelings 2night, lets be civil. -q" He wanted to delete her number after the text message filtered through his mind. Civil? How could they not be civil. Sam no longer belonged to Quinn. The curse was broken as soon as she decided to desiderate Finn, crushing his chances left with Rachel. She was one of the foulest people he knew, and if anything she should have deleted his number the second that he said it was over. Not bothering to text back, he slid his phone into his pocket and donned a light hoodie with his jeans. He grabbed his car keys and headed out for his truck. Trying to remember the path to Santana's house, he gave up and decidedly pulled out his phone for directions.

Pulling out his phone to ring her after the overly-long journey to the house sitting before him, she answered in half of a heartbeat. "Yeah, I'm coming guppy lips. I heard the loud ass engine of your somehow waterproof truck that they allowed you to take from your sea kingdom on your descent to dry land." She hung up the phone before he could answer and he stared at the screen idly. His large lips pursed and he flipped down his visor to look at them closer in the mirror before him. His lips smacked and he wiggled his tongue a few times before jumping from a loud bang on the passenger side window. He looked over to see Santana in a blue and black striped skin-tight dress donned with a fur vest. Her long black hair was pulled away from her face, but let down from the usual high ponytail she kept. It was an odd sight to see the humanistic qualities of the Cheerio he usually never saw, but he never really felt drawn to her. Her brown eyes seemed to be on fire as he looked her over for a minute, not unlocking the door yet from pure stupidity. She then kicked the door with a large crushing sound and he unlocked it right away. As soon as entry was allowed, she hopped in and nearly jumped his bones. Grabbing the back of his head and furiously pinning her lips against his in an almost dire conquest. She released him for air and he turned again to face the steering wheel in a daze. If it was possible, he felt even less of a spark than he did with Quinn.

Trying to ignore the awkwardness of the presence in his passenger seat, he drove silently and praised God that his stereo was working now that there wasn't blankets of snow enveloping the ground and invading the air. He wanted to rock a slow country station to ignore the evading thoughts of Quinn being in his presence at the party but Santana insisted on keeping a pop station on at all times so she could test the limits of his speakers. By the time the couple arrived, Quinn's small red car was parked already. He didn't see Mercedes' SUV anywhere. The small mulling migraine that grew on the trip was now full fledged and pounding. He needed alcohol and needed it now.

Santana climbed from the truck and smoothed her dress out as she planted on the ground. Sam went to take her arm to escort her but she was gone in a flash seeing Brittany hop out of her car. They ducked into the side entrance of the Berry household and he was left wondering where exactly Mercedes was. He held his breath and crossed the threshold into the dwelling.

* * *

 _Spinning and Sipping_

It wasn't long before he heard the high pitch tone of Rachel, cheerily welcoming her party guests. He heard a low classical music station playing in the background of the noise and the stiff silence of a room full of people. He made his way over to the wine coolers and decided against taking one, considering they wouldn't even make his system buzz. Stalking awkwardly across the Oscar room, as Rachel called it, he felt a swelling feeling and his headache evaporated into the tense air. He saw her seated criss cross on the small stage with a wine cooler sitting next to her. She was looking down into her lap and slowly bringing the drink to her lips every few seconds. It felt like an eternity had passed just standing and staring at her. Quinn was sitting next to her on a pedestal of pillows, with her legs crossed. Noticing Quinn took brief pause, due to the fact he tried to erase her entirely from his memory. She must have been staring as well because when he met her eyes they were already fixated on him. She smiled at him convincingly, inviting him to come sit with her and Mercedes. He wanted to say yes, because he hadn't talked to Mercedes in what was entirely too long, but decided not to give the blonde false hopes. The music turned to radio silence.

Deciding to talk to Mercedes later when Quinn wasn't hovering, he took a seat on a sunken brown couch located where he could still keep her in his eye sight. He switched from his phone, to looking at her, then to his hands, to the ceiling. The desolate stare she had made him want to pull her in an embrace. Surely Quinn wasn't all that interesting to her either considering they barely spoke since Sam had arrived. Santana eventually sniffed out his trail and perched herself on his lap when she found him. He didn't have a second to object before she was hungrily gnawing on his lips and embedding herself on him like a leech. If anything he'd enjoy the taste of the chapstick she wore for the night.

The focus of Sam's peripheral vision shifted when he saw Quinn gather herself and walk across the room. She had sat through the entirely of his make-out session with Santana, but looked sick as it happened. Crossing paths with Rachel he heard Quinn assure her that it was a great party, but her tone was as unconvincing as ever. The shriek of Rachel awoke the daze held over the guests as she scolded Brittany for sitting down as it was against the rules. The brunette tried desperately to gather them all together with loud tenor, "Okay everybody! Cheers!" Hardly any attention was given to her shout, met with mild displeasure mostly. Artie took it upon himself to break Rachel the bad news that he, Brittany, Puck, Tina and Mike were all leaving. He made up an absurd excuse. "Dinner reservations." This was the last straw for Rachel. She looked pleadingly at Finn for answers, "Why is everybody leaving?!" Her voice was a hushed whisper but the room was so quiet everyone could hear. Puck interjected before Finn could feed her some bullshit, "Because this party blows." Rachel ignored him and droned on with her own monologue no one cared for. Puck didn't care much as he insinuated again, "Look, I've said it earlier but you didn't want to listen. If you want everyone to stay, let me break into your Dads' liquor cabinet." She looked at Finn with a scared look in her eyes, but even he couldn't disagree. He nodded at her, as to give her permission, and she finally gave in to Puck's demand. She shouted again, but this time the room was all ears. "Let's party!"

In a flash there was music blaring and disco lights illuminating the party. Everyone was taking shots, all apart from Finn and Kurt who were designated drivers. There was an inescapable buzz that even Quinn decided to indulge in, even though she usually abstained from drinking or… having fun. He was grinding and dancing on Santana, or anyone really, due to the beer goggles that he was now in possession of. It wasn't long before Brittany's clothes were coming off and her bare stomach was laid for Santana to do body shots off of. If he had the slightest doubt about Santana's sexuality he would have been concerned, but he knew they were just good friends considering the fact that Santana was always sucking his face every second she could.

In the crowd he only kept the same eye on one person, who seemingly didn't know he existed as she took shot after shot with Mike and Tina. Puck was attempting to grind up on her which she didn't pay mind to, but a surge of jealousy coursed his veins. He made an effort to get next to them and "accidentally" bump Puck into the arms of another. Lauren Zizes was his date, and he thought them good together. He wanted it to stay that way for more than one reason.

The night ensued with more than enough bumping and grinding with Santana. She had become hysterical by the time she was fully drunk, and it was less than attractive. She was crying a lot, and whatever was left of her makeup was stained on her cheeks. She was shouting at him in Spanish, partial English. The only coherent line went a little something like, "You like her more than me, don't you?! You think she's prettier than me. It's true. She's pretty, and blonde, and so smart, and has a nice body. Just admit it!" He turned his head in the direction she was pointing to, and it made no sense that it was directly at Brittany. He had a wild look on his face as he discontented, trying to see if she mistook her for Quinn but the only way that could have happened is if Brittany and Artie suddenly broke up and it was Quinn situated on his lap. Without even getting a good look, her hands were grabbing the sides of his face, pulling him towards her with an intensity that scared him. She was now gurgling and throwing her tongue into his, which felt disgusting to say the least. Trying to get away for what seemed like ages, the deadlock she held him in way broken when Rachel announced "Spin the Bottle." Everyone flooded the dance floor now criss-crossed style. She took an empty wine cooler bottle and placed it on a checkerboard, facing away from her. Santana didn't join the circle, and he was grateful.

The first spin belonged to Tina who landed on Artie, but pretended it was Mike. She nearly leaped across the board and attacked him with her lips. Artie didn't seem to mind as his drunken self seemed to be the most relaxed. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a smiling Mercedes who was laughing at just about anything. An infectious laugh that made him feel like he was home when he heard it. It wasn't long before it was Sam's turn, who landed on Brittany of all people. He looked over to Santana who was weeping in the corner still, abruptly arising once she heard the chant of laughter. She stood and lurched over the group, he figured to keep an eye on him, but she was staring directly at Brittany. About to decline the kiss, an eager Puckerman whispered in his ear, "Do it! Kissing Brittany is a rite of passage." He gave him a hard pat and smiled at the blonde already crawling towards him. He sighed with a smile and leaned in to kiss her innocently. It turned out innocent, but he realized why Brittany was so popular as soon as their lips met. She was sweet, and gave in to the kiss. Sam came to the realization this felt so good because he had never had a genuine kiss with someone who didn't seem to be using him for their own benefit. A real genuine kiss that was ironically shared while he was drunk no less. This lasted for a brief moment before he heard the Latina shrieking in disgust. "You know what? A reminder! I think y'all need a reminder. I _owns_ that guppy mouth." He leaned into the kiss further trying to ignore her, but she grabbed the collar of his shirt and slapped the top of his head. He leaned back and focused his eyes on her, and she was now shouting something else. "Hey hunnies! You know what this is not? This is _not_ a big red commercial." She didn't break eye contact with Brittany who was now on the opposite side of Sam looking up at her confusedly. Santana pointed at her and shouted, "No me gusta!" Sam's hair was tousled and wild and he sat there staring into the distance with a huge grin on his face. Seeing Quinn shift in her chair uncomfortably was a bittersweet moment. The blonde shuffled her feet and decided it was time for her to go, not grabbing a coat, heading upstairs alone. Mercedes eyes darted towards her, as Sam's did, but ultimately it was upon a silent mutual agreement that Quinn wanted to be left alone.

The cheering circle of his friends were turning red in the face from chants and laughter. It was Rachel who decidedly put the bottle in front of everyone, and she would have been damned if she didn't participate. A click of the smooth glass spinning against the checkerboard deciding her fate had the group on edge. It stopped on a face that Sam didn't know well. Blaine looked up wide-eyed and face flushed. The only other person who had a more formidable reaction was the now jumpy Kurt sitting beside him. "This is truly outstanding!" Kurt rose his voice to a falsetto and used a throaty cough to get out the words. The heat emitting from him was obvious, even though Rachel seemed to be more confident as ever. She stared at Blaine for a quick second before uttering her next words. "Blaine… Warbler. I'm going to rock your world." Putting emphasis on the last three words as she spoke, she eagerly left forward to collect her kiss. Grabbing the front of his shirt she forced a kiss on him that must have been as awkward as… well… a gay guy making out with a girl. Blaine seemed as though he wanted to throw caution to the wind and give in while grabbing ahold of Rachel's back, pushing her further into him if that was possible.

A stomach churning sound arose from Kurt's throat as the cheers became gawks in the direction of the kissers. The uncomfortable silence that formed around them intensified when Blaine's hand began to caress Rachel's face. Their breath hitched and it seemed like the pair was in a trance that no one could break, until Kurt intervened. He squealed trying to sound chipper but instead let out a frantic cry, "Okay! I think we've had enough. Really… enough of that!" It took a feat of strength to watch the horror scene unraveling, but Sam's eyes stayed glued like a bad car accident. Instead of fireworks erupting with that kiss, it was like heavy metal scraping together and coming to a slamming halt when Kurt and Finn finally pried them apart. Rachel fell back in unabashed laughter into Kurt's arms, who now was as pale as a ghost. Sam could imagine he would feel the same way if someone he loved made out with a stranger, no less right in front of everyone. With that thought his eyes inadvertently darted over to the beautiful girl now sipping out of a red solo cup, no doubt trying to hold back laughter from the awkward situation that Blaine and Rachel just made the group witness. It wasn't long before the drunken brunette was screaming like a banshee about singing a duet with Blaine.

Music set to a classic. Cue Rachel trying to stand up straight on the shallow stage with Blaine dancing with his mic stand. Despite the intoxication she now faced, she was dancing around like some disease had plagued her. The chorus of "Don't You Want Me" was started off by Blaine. Sam sat eagerly waiting for the show until Santana scooped up his arms and dragged him over to the couch from earlier. Too drunk to protest, Sam crawled onto the couch and patted his lap for Santana eagerly waiting to pounce like a cougar. The lust in her eyes burned with an intensity heightened by her drunkenness. Within seconds she was garbling and muffling something into his mouth while he tried to keep his lips glued to hers, holding down the vodka that was downed a few minutes prior.

Unsure of how long she was on top of him, he was released so that she could give an impromptu lap dance on top of him. She slid off of him and grabbed a drink to gulp down, this time staring at the performers. She was singing and dancing along carelessly which tickled Sam's urge to sneak a peek at someone sitting directly across from him. Still on the floor in a criss-crossed fashion, she was nursing the red solo cup and mouthing along. Mercedes' eyes looked sleepy but her mouth still kept a wide grin at the show going on in front of her. It took a lot of strength not to sit next to her, and to stay in the chair next to Santana hysterically shouting at no one in particular. Sam hoped no one caught the sex-eyes he was giving her across the room… ones that he didn't even know he had. Shit. He must've had too many drinks.

* * *

 _Midnight_

Time was irrelevant. The cold air knocked him into a state he wasn't prepared for, and the warm buzz of alcohol surged through him to combat it. A shiver erupted down his spine and he heard the gabbing of his glee mates exiting the Berry household behind him. Santana was being toted by an unsteady Brittany who still was half naked despite the drop in temperature. Too intoxicated to care, he let his girlfriend stumble off into her car and lie down in the back seat. Artie was lifted into the free spot beside them. Like a can of sardines they all were on each others laps, waiting for Finn to fold the wheelchair into the trunk. Quinn exited after the group and looked rather slyly and Sam before climbing in the passenger side, leaving her car in front of Rachel's house probably to be retrieved tomorrow. The blonde stared at him as he stood idly trying to figure out where Mercedes was. He saw her towering SUV parked across the street, but she was nowhere to be found. Opting to sit instead of stand looking confused as hell, he sat down on the asphalt drunkenly waving to Finn who was backing Brittany's car out of the driveway. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he heard the warm laughter of Mercedes erupting out of the side entrance of Rachel's house. Green eyes darting up, Sam saw Kurt take Blaine into his arms haphazardly. He stared at the train wreck of his friends attempting to stumble down the drive-way to Mercedes' car as he sat dumbfounded. Tina then emerged with Mike helping her down, and his friend was struggling. Getting up as quickly as he could, he shouted into the darkness illuminated by one house light. "Merce—" Sam stumbled on his words as walking and talking at the same time was a difficult task. "Mercedes!" Managing to choke it out before she got too far, she looked back at him with a quick glance and a bright smile on her face once she saw him. "Sammy!" She attempted to walk his way but ultimately giving up noticing the incline of the ground below her. "Stay there. I'll help you down." It was like God's gift to Sam that Santana had hitched a ride with the others. Ignoring her hand stretched out to him, he put his arm around her shoulders and began slowly descending to her SUV. Mercedes cackled excitedly at the struggling steps Sam was taking not to fall. He tried to keep a brave face but ultimately his was red from laughter by the time their journey to the car was over. With a free hand, he took one of hers and glided to the car now seemingly effortless on flat land. The leather bag strapped on her shoulder jingled as she attempted to find the keys for an impatient Kurt now standing with Blaine passed out on his shoulders. His eyes were as dark as the night sky despite their normal blue color. Finally growing fed up with her drunken shenanigans Kurt snatched her bag from her hands. Mercedes scoffed but then erupted in a high pitch laughter when the contents of her purse landed on the asphalt. Sam hid his face in Mercedes shoulder as he tried to hide his laughter. The smell of her leather jacket had a vanilla musk adrift into his nostrils and it made his mouth water. He stayed there as long as he could, giddy off of the smell of her and the antics of their intoxicated selves. Kurt was scrambling on the cold ground when Blaine dived down next to him, inevitably awake from his slumber. He hit the cold asphalt with a slam and Kurt emitted a loud shriek that made the entire group jump and howl in laughter. "Never again!" Exasperated with hand in the air, Kurt sat in defeat on the ground next to Mercedes' belongings. Sam attempted to outstretch his hand that was intertwined with Mercedes' in an act of grievance but it was like moving in slow motion. Irate and flustered, Kurt was to his feet before Sam even blinked. He stood with his hand hanging limp now and Mercedes attempted to pull away from him to follow suit of Tina and Mike already in the backseat. Attempting to be nonchalant, he held her grasp a few moments longer and she didn't object. She smiled brightly up at him in the moonlight, cooing at him. And he swore his heart stopped beating. Maybe it was a good idea Rachel decided to have this party.

Taking her hand, Sam helped Mercedes into the backseat of the SUV. Mike was collapsed against his side's door, and Tina was asleep flush against his chest. Mercedes perched herself in the middle and stared absently ahead through the dashboard. The heat between his and her body intensified as soon as he climbed in behind her. The car was spacious, but he pretended he needed to be as close as possible to her. Sam leaned against his door and stared at her through blond bangs he thought were keeping him incognito. It was a whisper, but he was all ears. "Is there something on my face?" Mercedes was now looking at him, burning her chocolate eyes into him. No mirror needed to realize the pale skin turned a bright garnet hue. Trying to save face with a quick reply, "Just right…" he licked his thumb and swiped the side of her cheek, which was also burning in response to his touch. "There." Sam let a bright smirk overlay his face. A pair of pearly whites flashed in response, her amber skin glowing in the dim light with them. Mercedes' beauty lit a fire within him, one that was ignited a long time ago… but now was kindled again in that moment. It took all of the power within him not to take her face in his hands and kiss her. Even though his relationship with Santana was a sham, he would never cheat. Sam settled for a slight pinch on the apple of her cheek and a charming wink in her direction. It was the boom of the radio that broke his trance. Kurt turned it up loud as to drown out the unsettling events he witnessed during spin the bottle. Sam stared out of the window for a majority of the ride to his house until a sustained yawn pulled him from the fixation of trees passing in a whirl. His eyes darted to Mercedes who was now attempting to lean her head back on a non-existent pillow. Sam let out a dry clearing of his throat that caught her attention. He tapped his chest lightly and motioned with his hand for her to take it as her own. She smiled lightly and opted for his shoulder instead. Leaning into him completely she was out like a light within moments. It was at this time that Sam decided to let go of his inhibitions and bask in the radiant smell of her hair. Notes of lavender and vanilla musk covered him in a cloak of warm reminiscence. This was a car ride he never wanted to end.

The morning after was a bitch. Nothing had ever been so painful to wake up to as a throbbing migraine behind the emerald green eyes of Sam Evans. Rubbing vigorously in a failed attempt to soothe them made him groan in anguish. Stupid alcohol awareness week. A low growl released from his torso that sounded like a bomb had been dropped. He couldn't face his parents like this, so settled for the snacks he had hoarded in his room for late night Star Wars marathons.

The blur of last night was coming back in flashes. Dawning like the new day that wasn't so welcoming as the memories he could vividly see. Still donned in his jacket from last night, he could smell Mercedes all over. If he valued his life any, that jacket would be hidden away when Santana came around. Recounting the memory of a stumbling Mercedes and a frustrated Kurt made him die laughing, and a drunken car ride home with them intensified the gut-wrenching feelings that ambushed him. The feelings held inside of him for a small beautiful girl plagued him like the essence of a summer day while being stuck in winter. But now he was with Santana, a girl who didn't seem to be giving up on their "relationship" anytime soon by the way she practically tackled him whenever she was within a 50 mile radius of the large lips occupying his face. Rushing to his feet, the vodka shoveled deep inside of him was bubbling. Making it to the toilet in time but not masking the sound of his screams. His mother would no doubt be hearing the reverberation of the massive stomps his feet produced. Two minutes was how long Sam counted before his mother was knocking on the bathroom door. He kicked it open with a debilitated foot. Mary Evans stood with a terrifying scowl that he never wanted to be on the receiving end of. Arm outstretched on the toilet seat and the large lips puffed. Sam's pleading eyes didn't stop her. "Samuel Evans…." Fuck.

* * *

 _Trainwreck_

The sleep he accumulated during the weekend did nothing for the pounding sound of the alarm clock on a Monday morning. The anticipating performance for their alcohol awareness assembly put Sam in a cold sweat. His mouth was still dribbling, and head following suit from Rachel's party. Everyone was in agreeance on the fact that "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha was the best song choice. After a failed attempt to get Mr. Schue's permission singing "Blame It On The Alcohol", Sam was grateful he was even letting them perform at all.

It had been an entire weekend with no word from Mercedes. Santana had tried to sext Sam a few times but he never responded, feeling nauseous enough as is. Dodging her in the halls was simple enough considering they were all discombobulated from their hangovers. Now drunk again from Artie's, mostly vodka, Bloody Mary's the feeling of hurling in front of the entire school plagued Sam's thoughts. To top it all off, Rachel was holding a jug full of a sludge like substance that probably appealed to fourteen-year olds. He chugged a shot of it to lessen his nerves, but it did the opposite creating an elastic band effect on his stomach. Tightening and retracting with each step, a silent prayer was held for his insides.

Inevitable disaster struck in the middle of their performance when Brittany caused a vomit train. The purple liquid that sprayed onto the stage was obviously not staged. It purchased the entire Glee club a ticket to the principal's office after they got cleaned up. Seeing Mercedes looking so sickly had him whirling, wanting to comfort her more than anything.

Principal Figgins was talking, but it sounded like a foreign language erupting forth. Not only was he completely oblivious to the fact that they were all drunk off of their asses while performing, but he was rewarding them. A pat on the back for idiocy. Sam wasn't surprised when Shue called an emergency meeting, no doubt to express his dismay. He entered the room noticing Mercedes texting. Santana was already in her seat, eyeing Sam as he stalked into the room. He was hoping that he wasn't visibly upset about not being able to say something to Mercedes, but he concluded ultimately Santana would be oblivious to his feelings. Wrapping his arm around her stiff shoulders made him feel even worse. Somehow on this spring day she was uncomfortably cold. Santana texted as Sam held his arm around her, eventually letting it drop sometime during their teacher's monologue of discontent. She didn't even notice his vision abruptly darting to Mercedes every now and again. The day dragged out as long as it could have, and when it came to a close he was eager to get home and sleep off the error of his ways. Sam Evans was never drinking again.

* * *

 _AN: Thank you all so much for your patience. An incredibly fun chapter to write. Sam's rapid paced night is met with some odd luck after a bad day. Sometimes reaching through the screen to set him straight is a craving we all have._

 _Please leave a review with any feedback. I welcome it with open arms. I try to update every two days, if not daily. My schedule is very off track with school and work, hence delayed updates. I appreciate your patience and your kind words. Read on~~_


	9. Death and New Beginnings

_The fate of Sam Evans' relationships seem to be unraveling more and more. With the departure of Quinn and the replacement of Santana- whose to say that anything is long lasting at McKinley. The small girl in Sam's eye is becoming closer and closer to being his._

* * *

 _Spring Was Sprung_

With March coming to a close, Sam was sprung. The buzz of nature blooming enlightened him. The birds and the bees pollinating kind of freaked him out. With their health teacher being out sick, a spicy blonde was called to sub in her place. Holly Holiday had a plan to begin conversations about sex at McKinley despite the celibacy club's pleas. An impromptu performance of "Do You Wanna Touch Me" set the mood to sell sex, something Sam wasn't entirely sure about. "Don't get me wrong, I dig sex… and sex stuff… as much as the next guy, but isn't it a little inappropriate?" He hummed lowly into the phone and the answer shocked him. "Don't be a prude." The peppery voice of Santana Lopez seemed like a hum, hearing sly remarks from Brittany as background noise. Sam never had a proper conversation with Santana for the entire week they had been dating.

It was usually an awkward silence encumbered by the inevitable click of Santana hanging up on him. He sighed looking at his watch feigning a yawn. "I think it's time for me to hit the sack anyways." Sam decided to ignore the commentary of his temperance. The click on the other end of the phone signaled her departure. He sent a quick text to Mercedes to wish her a good night, as they had been texting back and forth all day about possible movie marathons to plan with the group.

It was an internal conflict. Sam's heart felt a swell whenever he talked to Mercedes. The feeling grew larger as time went on. His now girlfriend was constantly finding new ways to rip him apart. Not being able to speak N'avi anymore, read comic books, watch superhero movies. It got to a point where Sam was staying home every day after school just so he could get a fix of things missed out on when his parole officer wasn't around.

Strangely enough, Santana had been busy for the past couple of days. She mentioned a duet with Brittany that would be performed later on with the accompanying vocals of their substitute health teacher. It didn't take much for Sam to shrug off the isolation from Santana. At this point in their relationship, Sam and Santana should be in the honeymoon phase. It should be lovely and whimsical ;but instead of butterflies in his stomach he felt wasps.

He lie sprawled across the bed, not ready to sleep quiet yet. The hopeless romantic seemed to awake at night. All Sam had ever wanted was to curl up on the couch with someone to watch TV with . Since he always had trouble sleeping, it wasn't a far-fetched dream. Santana didn't have a curfew, but he didn't exactly want her presence on the couch. Sam didn't hesitate to think about her name in his mind. It flowed through like a slow, sugary molasses.

Cue to Sam sprawled on the bed with thoughts entranced in the future. His eyes were ready to stay shut but he hit the snooze button on his alarm clock three times already. Dazed and confused, the stumbling to the bathroom was an attempt to wash away the sleep.

Showering does little to nothing for the tiredness. Absentmindedly checking his phone every so often before the time came to get dressed Sam was looking for a response from a certain someone. Santana never replied to texts unless they were sexy, but Mercedes always replied within a small matter of time. He blew air out of his mouth exasperated and put his phone face down onto his desk. It was oddly comforting for Sam to be able to turn off the world when necessary. Sometimes the jumbles of letters and numbers made him feel like dyslexia is an inhibition impossible to overcome. He fought it like hell, though.

Pulling out a pad and a pen, he let a stream of consciousness flow onto the paper. Since the "original song" assignment for Glee club was _really_ happening, he had better get started. It was easy to think of things he wanted to say, but writing them out was the difficult part. The words flowed in ways Sam understood, but no one else did. He supposed the term "learning different" made sense now. Writing for a long time without stopping made his hand pulse. Sam stopped to look at his watch and impulsively gathered his things for school. Almost half an hour early, but there was an old southern saying Sam's dad liked to say about how it's better to be early than it is to be late. It probably had something to do with hunting that he didn't care for particularly.

The slam of a truck cab into the empty parking lot would have caused a startled jump… if anyone else was around. Sam opted for the empty outside seating beside the cafeteria. It was just warm enough he didn't need anything other than a light red hoodie. The comfortableness of it soothed him. Sam knew he wasn't going to fall asleep outside again.

Clouds drastically shifting and speeding by as the time progressed before his first class. He saw the others slowly arrive one by one before their day would begin, and sure enough they all joined him for an impromptu song writing session at the metal tables before the Monday that they were about to endure. Santana and Brittany always came late donning iced coffees, no doubt after another sleepover they had every other night. Their closeness was something he wished to have with another Glee guy, as he never really had a best guy friend before. Sam thought that Finn was going to be the one to do that, before he came and wrecked his relationship with Quinn. Although, Sam was grateful for getting out of that mess soon. The scar of Quinn still ached his heart when he saw her, but he mostly felt nothing but indifference on a normal day.

The small girl who decided to sit beside him was looking like a picturesque spring day. She wore a loosely fitted cardigan with flowers covering a white tank top. Normal jeans and wedges donned her lower half, not distracting from the striking contrast of the white cream against her warm skin. The essence of flowers overtook Sam as he was nonchalantly trying to inhale her aroma. Her usual scent must have been a winter original because now it was a symphonic bouquet that complimented the now warmer weather.

If no one else was around, his hands would have pawed at the frills hanging from her cardigan.

Inevitably, the bell rang breaking his lull. A quick smile from her relieved him of tension before the school day.

* * *

 _Originality_

"All right everyone, let's begin our song writing workshop!" A dragged out speech that Sam nearly snoozed through had ended. Now the Glee club had as much free time as they needed to write some amazing songs. He sat next to Mike with is girlfriend distanced away from him, at an angle in front of him. Santana hadn't said a word since lunch. What was going on inside of her mind? Sam shrugged it off before thinking too deeply, for fear her Mexican third eye would alert her out of nowhere.

Mr. Schue passed out the thesauruses with a genuine, excited smile. This was their first regionals competition all together and it was apparent that their teacher wanted them to succeed. Santana quickly grabbed one and tossed it into Sam's lap, missing the groin area by some feat. She got up quickly announcing to Mr. Schue the meaning behind her abruptness. "Mr. Schue, actually… Tina and I have been working on a song already. That I wrote. " There was no hesitation in her voice but the entire room fell hushed. Sam looked at Mike sitting next to him with a look that he tried to hide the fear in his eyes with, desperately. Mr. Schue's eyes lit up, "Wow Santana, that's amazing. Can we hear it?" She took center stage with a nod and Tina scurried to the piano. Santana looked over the room and made eye contact with Sam, who was smiling brightly. "This is a song I wrote for Sam." He nodded at her, still smiling even though embarrassment made his stomach churn. "It's called _Trouty Mouth_."

Sam's face dropped, seemingly through the floor. His eyes now shined in a confusion and rage that he didn't know how to address. His large lips were now sullen, trembling. Sam could barely utter his next words. "Wait, what's the song called?" He asked to no one in particular, but the soft voice of Mike Chang was in his ear, looking Sam directly in the eyes although he was fixated on Santana still. "Trouty Mouth." The room fell to an even more intense, awkward silence.

A slow paced piano melody began and Santana was dancing idly. She was facing Tina and began taking off her jacket to reveal a tight fitting tube top. _"Guppy faa-aa-aace."_ Sam's stomach was becoming more and more dense with each words. _"Trouty mou-ouu-ouuth."_ Her raspy voice continued on, and he wanted to run out of the room. Out of the school entirely. A small gasp escaped from Mr. Schue's mouth and the rest of the room had their eyes glued on Sam's now red face.

 _"Is that how people's lips look where you come from in the South?_

 _Grouper mou-ou-outh. Froggy li-i-i-ips. I love sucking on those salamander lips._

 _Wanna put a fish hook in those lips so cherry red._

 _If you tried_

 _hard_

 _enough._

 _You could suck a baby's head!_

 _Whoo!"_

Sam erupted forth from his chair, unable to take the harassment any longer. "Enough! Stop the music! That's enough with the mouth jokes. I'm sick of it." His hands remained clenched in his hoodie pockets, but he was seething blood red in the face."

Santana's eyes grew a deep seething color. "Sit the hell down, I'm not finished yet."

He didn't care at this point if she ended it between them, because all he felt was rage towards her. "Yes you are! Mr. Schue, how can you let her sing this? We are _not_ doing Trouty Mouth at regionals." Mr. Schue was out of his chair now too. "I have to agree with Sam here. Santana, it was a great start… but I don't really think this is a good fit for regionals." He tried to reassure her that it was great placing an accompanying hand on her back for support. Startled, she riled "Don't touch me! Do not touch me vest monkey." Her mouth was still agape as she sat down, and Sam seemed to be seeing red. He tried to focus on Puck's song for Lauren, but his mind was elsewhere the rest of the meeting.

Tapping his foot and snapping along with the music, Santana glanced back at him to give him a death stare. Sick of her shenanigans, he inched closer to towards her shrugging in a mocking way. This was the death of Samtana.

* * *

 _Hell To The No_

The next day was going to be Mercedes' day to shine. Sam was excitedly texting her back and forth all night. Mostly to calm her nerves, but also to fully indulge in her words. She had emailed him a rough draft of her signature "Hell To The No" along with a voice memo, and he was completely obsessed with it. It was a get up and dance kind of song he could get into. "sooo ur sending me a copy of the recording right? when u get that record deal. bc this is amaaaaazing mercy." He sent her a reply as soon as he finished listening to the small sample. "youll have to get in line evans! :p" When she teased Sam, it made him feel as though they had been something more than friends. Maybe he wanted that all along.

"i will b fighting for that cd. way better than fuckin trout mouth." His embarrassment was still raw. The fact that Santana performed that song in front of all of their friends proved the type of person she was. Who does something like that? Sam would never fathom doing something like that to the girl he was dating. Mercedes text back made him feel better. "ouch, yeah that was rough. i dont kno what satan was thinking." An enormous laugh erupted as his fingers tried to move fast enough to text her back. "thats harsh miss jones". Sam was gleaming at the phone before her quick reply came through, making his green eyes water from how much he was laughing. "OMG. i mean i wasnt wrong but tht was NOT what i meant samuel!" His guffaws grew with each breath he tried to intake. The smirk she gave him made his fingertips vibrate.

Pulsations in his heart grew larger and larger as time dragged on. Being a part of Mercedes Jones' life was something Sam never expected to be so proud of. She was his best friend, the person he went to before anyone else. This was a brand new world.

The approaching regionals competition had everyone on edge. It was a far shot, but he hoped that Mercedes' song would push people over the edge and stop choosing Rachel to be the lead in competitions. He gave her the thumbs up on her casual outfit for the performance, and a good luck hug that was reciprocated nicely in her short arms. Sam couldn't help but slightly lift her as she was in his embrace. He wanted so desperately to sweep her off her feet.

They gathered in the tense choir room, still on edge from the blowout between Sam and Santana. Fucking _Trouty Mouth_. He sulked in Santana's direction who didn't dare sit near him. He opted for a seat next to Mike instead. Front row, ready. Anxiously awaiting her arrival, Sam pulled out his notebook to scribble some of this own consciousness down. The anticipated tingling adrenaline rush from hearing Mercedes sing made him feel inspired. He absentmindedly doodled comic strips in the corner as opposed to finishing up his original song.

When she approached the choir room she seemed to have a tinge of nervousness. Not anything that the average observer would figure out. Sam was not an average observer. He smiled his signature smile at her and gave her a thumbs up to encourage her. It was settling for that as opposed to scooping her up in his arms.

Mercedes gave him an anxious smile and nodded in his direction. Placing her hands on her hips awaiting Mr. Schue's arrival she was looking down at her feet an attempt to psyche herself up internally.

"All right everyone." They all looked up at the familiar voice entering the choir room. "Let's all give Mercedes our full attention for her original song." He gave a thunderous one-clap and then retreated to the piano bench. The electric keyboard accompanied by the drums started before anyone could even bat an eye. Mercedes was hitting her leg in rhythm and stomping one foot in sync. It was an intense beat Sam wasn't expecting because she sang the demo accapella. His eyes were glued on her figure, not hiding the enormous grin he was now wearing as he tapped his foot with the keys.

Before Mercedes even began to sing Brittany, Santana and Tina all gathered around the piano. They were dancing to the beat and basking in its' amazingness.

 _Mama said get your ass out of bed_

 _I said hell to the no_

Her voice was an electric current flowing through him. Sam would have been dancing is he wasn't so taken aback with wonder.

She moved over to Artie in the front row gesturing to him as she sang, and he wagged a finger in response.

 _Said wash your grandma's nasty head_

 _I said hell to the no_

 _They tried to take away my tots_

 _I said hell to the no_

 _Yeah, 'cause I'm the one that calls the shots_

 _And I say hell to the no_

Sam was etching roughly and quickly to make a sign before she inched over to him. Her approach was like the celestial heavens had gifted him. When she got to her iconic line again he held up his notebook which had "HELL NO" scribbled on it. Mercedes smiled brightly at him as she sang but didn't miss a beat. As he held up his makeshift sign he was smiling such an exaggerated, dorky smile with his entire face. His eyes were lit up like a christmas tree. Even after she had made her way to the piano, he was still smiling.

 _Try to make me change my weave_

 _Well I got something up my sleeve_

 _It's a whole lot of_

 _Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh_

 _Hell to the no-no, no-no, no-no, no-no_

 _I said_

 _Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh_

 _Hell to the no-no, no-no, no-no, no-no_

Mercedes danced and moved with her song like a soulful flow. This balance was a symphony to everyone's eyes and ears.

 _They tried to take away my tots_

 _I said hell to the no_

 _Yeah, 'cause I'm the one that calls the shots_

 _And I say hell to the no_

 _Tell me I should eat my wheaties, you know what_

 _Hell to the no (Hell to the no)_

 _Tell me I'll come down with diabetes_

 _Hell to the no (Hell to the no)_

With every line of the chorus she did a signature move where she shook her head and moved a finger back and forth against it. Sam would do it too but not on rhythm.

 _Try to make me change my eats_

 _But baby that just isn't me_

 _I'm a whole lot of_

 _Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh_

 _Hell to the no-no, no-no, no-no, no-no_

 _I said_

 _Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh_

 _Hell to the no-no, no-no, no-no, no-no_

Not a single person in the room was sitting still in their chair.

 _Take me you can leave me but I won't ever change_

 _If you don't like the rules don't play my game_

 _Talk to me to get R-E-S-P-E-C-T, but if I don't, it's all in me_

 _Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh_

 _Hell to the no-no, no-no, no-no, no-no_

 _I said_

 _Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh_

 _Hell to the no-no, no-no, no-no, no-no_

"Awe hell to the no." She finished the song with an enormous smile. Sam looked straight at her and winked as he clapped the loudest in his chair. His heart was still racing. Mr. Schue erupted forth and went straight for Mercedes, placing his hand on her back in congratulatory fashion. "Mercedes, that was amazing. I mean really, really good. But…." Mercedes cut him off with one swift movement. "But nothing Mr. Schue that song was amazing." The aggression in her tone was exactly the way Sam had felt when he heard Mr. Shue's statement, but he didn't want to make a scene in front of everyone. "No, I completely agree. But I just don't think it's regionals material." Mercedes didn't even acknowledge what he was saying as she walked away in the middle of his sentence. She looked like the world just fell from her palms, the exact opposite of when she performed.

Sam sat there sulking at Mr. Shue. He knew it was going to happen, but he was thinking wishfully that maybe this time would be different. He stared down at his notebook at the words his hands scribbled during Mercedes' performance.

The voice of his now ex-girlfriend could now be heard. Santana was seated at the piano bench with a pen and paper in her hand, holding it up for the class to see. "I've written another verse of _Trouty Mouth_ if anyone wants to hear." She looked at Mr. Schue but Sam could feel the Mexican third-eye watching him for a response. The sign in his lap now perfectly summed up how he was feeling in this moment. Sam held up the "HELL NO" sign with a grimace on his face, pointed directly at Santana. The humiliation of his large lips was seemingly never going to stop. He shook his head in exasperation when Mr. Schue cut her off. "No no no. Guys. We have to focus." Their teacher looked around at all of the confused faces. "Think about your favorite songs. What makes a song great is its' emotion." Sam heard Mercedes falter in her chair, moving abruptly and scoffing. "They come from a place of pain. We have to channel that if we want to win regionals."

Artie interjected, "That should be easy for us. Sylvester tortures us every day in an attempt to get people to hate us. And it works." Mr. Shue's face was distraught as he heard the sorrow in Artie's voice from the revelation. He heard the fiery Latina start, this time with heartfelt words. "Yesterday she filled Britt's and I's locker with dirt." Their teacher was now running towards the white board to write down what they were saying. Sam heard Mercedes' voice now, sounding torn up as well. "Well she literally throws sticks at me. One time I was just trying to get my books for class and she started throwing twigs in my hair saying I deserved it because she was going to crush us at regionals." Sam looked back at her to check her composure and she seemed distraught. His heart sank with her words.

"Okay, what else?" Tina then came forward with her own Sue tale. "She called the secretary of state and told them she was me. She said that I wanted to change my name to Tina Cohen-Loser." The silence over the room was uncomfortable. Everyone telling their stories about how Sue has personally victimized them made them all feel regretful. "How did Sue doing these things to you make you feel?" Mr. Schue asked and no one seemed to want an answer. It was the tall quarterback who was silent the entire day that spoke. "Well, it hurts at first. But then it makes you want to win." It was as if everyone was looking for that exact answer because the room was filled wish hushed agreement. Mr. Schue looked at Finn and smiled. "Guys, I think you may have just found your song." Sam was confused to say the least, but he was excited to see what song that was exactly, although still upset Mercedes' wasn't going to be the one they were singing.

* * *

 _Losers_

The crowd was intense as they entered the auditorium. The stage lights made him feel sick with nervousness. His anchor was three seats down. By some incredible feat, Santana was still side by side with Sam despite their less than amicable breakup. Almost as if she didn't care at all he had ended it, which is why she planted herself down next to him with Brittany on the other side of her. Mercedes looked gorgeous in her blue satin dress that Tina made. Every girl was wearing the same thing, but she looked especially radiant even in the low lighting of their seats.

He kept glancing over at her to see her reactions to the performances going on in front of them. Sometimes she was singing and dancing and other times she was grimacing at the pandering of Aural Intensity singing a Jesus song when the judge is a nun and a conservative Catholic.

Sam knew in his mind's eye that there was no way they were going to lose to Sue. Maybe to the Warblers, but definitely not Sue.

He rubbed his sweaty palms on his knees and breathed out in a slow pace. If he could get through a duet with Quinn, he would get through this.

Sitting through the horrendous numbers performed by Aural Intensity seemed almost worth it when Blaine and Kurt performed "Candles" by Hey Monday. Sam's eyes couldn't help his wandering eye to the beautiful girl seated just a few people down from him. It almost made him tear up.

 _"Blow the candles out, looks like a solo tonight._

 _I'm beginning to see the light._

 _Blow the candles out, looks like a solo tonight_

 _but I think I'll be alright."_

The New Directions clapped louder and harder than anyone else in the crowd. The giant voice of his enamored echoed above all else in response. She was the most enthusiastic and caring about her friend Kurt. If the New Directions lost, they wouldn't feel so bad if it was to the Warblers. Kurt, to be specific.

The end of their performance led to the scattering of his Glee club members to behind the stage. Their debut of Rachel's song was one he wasn't looking forward to. She was good, but not as good as Mercedes. One day everyone was going to realize what Sam already knew. Mercedes Jones was the most talented person he had ever met.

Rachel's song was moving in a way that he wasn't expecting. It was nice she was singing from the heart for once and not for theatrics.

The group song came too soon after, giving him only a brief thirty second pause to collect himself. Sam's nerves were glaringly obvious as he saw Mercedes looking at him with sympathetic eyes. She nodded a quick reassuring glance in his direction, and it made him glow instantly. If she was performing, no one would be looking at him. They'll all be too starstruck by her aura.

Where he stood, the music morphed into their signature beat. Their song was about to be broadcasted to this auditorium. Sam gulped loudly at the realizations he was having, but he made his way next to Mercedes and kept his thoughts fixated on her. "It's now or never, Evans." He said to himself in a low tone. Showtime.

 _"Yeah, you may think that I'm a zero_

 _But, hey, everyone you wanna be_

 _Probably started off like me…"_

The chorus rang out from Rachel and Mercedes and he felt his body pulsating. In this moment, with these people, Sam didn't think of himself as a loser. More than any other time in his life, Sam felt like he was a part of something innately special. Holding onto this moment forever was exactly what he planned to do.

The walk to the dressing room backstage was a blank spot in Sam's memory. He felt his legs moving and the ache of his feet, but nothing else. He would most likely be dead if not for automatic breathing. He stood anxiously next to Tina, Artie and Mike, trying not to pace but vigorously rubbing his palms on his pants. The sweat glands in Sam's hands were overloaded.

He heard her laugh echo across the cramped room as his eyes darted up between blond bangs. Sam kept his head down but let his eyes trace her figure. Her face was red and glowy from the performance their team had just rocked. Sam hoped it was enough for the judges.

It must've been the shorted meeting between judges. Within not even two minutes the lights were flickering, beckoning them back to the stage. The jackhammer in the left side of Sam's chest was flicked on as he walked with his friends to the stage. They had to win.

Somehow Sam was situated behind the giant Finn Hudson who, despite being a step lower than him, was still obscuring his view. He stood behind Mercedes, who was situated next to the quarterback, excitedly talking up at him with her hands idly fondling with her dress. The announcer that walked on stage took eons. She was drunk off of her ass and slandering her husband who got her the job in the first place. Sam couldn't care less, and eagerly awaited the news blocking out any other unrelated gibberish.

"In first place we have…" The words slurred out and made Sam's heart stop. "The New Directions! Congratulations you're going to Nationals."

The loud noise erupting around him made his ears ring, but he was giddy with excitement. Claiming their trophy, they all stared in awe in its' glory. He had never felt so at peace in a crowd full of screaming people. Jumping up and down they feasted on the fruits of their labors.

It was the loud slap that pulled them out of their ecstatic rhythm, and the thud to the floor that followed. Sue had made her way across the stage to slap the announcer in the face with a cold hard hand. Ouch.

The night air was filled with cheers and screams on the way to their cars. He was running to catch up with the group, feeling the rush of the wind as he did so. To get home and try to sleep after tonight would be tough.

Entirely on the way home, he was texting Mercedes at every red light. Every stop sign. "miss jones, you truly were amazing 2nite. looked it 2. get home safe." The exuberant smile spread across his face as he heard the notification of reply. He drove eagerly to the next light and unlocked his phone in a rush. "dont make me blush! you looked great urself. we all did." Her kindness towards the people who constantly undermined her was beyond him. Sam couldn't understand how she wasn't so angry with them all the time for choosing Rachel. "she aint u mercedes. u would've done way better with hell 2 the no." Somehow Sam could hear her laugh echo in his mind reading her next message. "i dont think we can get better than first place. ur right tho, she def aint me! :)" He couldn't read her messages until he got home due to lack of traffic lights, but the approach was euphoric knowing her words were only a short period away. Sam Evans was becoming hooked, and he didn't mind at all.

* * *

 _AN: Tell me your thoughts on this chapter! I, for one, was glad to see Samtana be gone as quickly as it arrived. Trouty is now in the right direction, and I'm hoping he stays there :) Mercedes is obviously noticing something up with Sam's constant eye on her, but will she reciprocate? A night of neglect will surely have some events transpire. Until next time, please leave a review or private message me if you enjoyed. I appreciate your patience as always and thank you all for the amazing reviews._


	10. Neglected

_When the Glee club is short on funds for Nationals, the spicy Holly Holiday comes up with a plan. The night filled with neglected artists is underway, and everyone is sick of Rachel's bull. Why does she think she deserves the spotlight over Mercedes? A group-chat filled with musings adds to his heightened emotions. Mercedes gets personal with Sam on how she and Quinn became close, all leading up to a Night of Neglect!_

* * *

 _Recounting_

The warm air made Sam's skin pucker. The smell was making his nose tingle. The source: a flowery perfume that was lulling and soothing. The spring air in Ohio seemed to never become stale to Sam, it was something he appreciated wholeheartedly after a terrible winter thought to never end. His heart had even started to turn to ice. The fallibility of his emotions was something Sam kept closeted, wanting to seem tougher, more masculine. After two breakups over the course of one school year, he despised switching to McKinley at all. On a quiet night with nothing but his loneliness, Sam sometimes considered taking a vow to be by himself.

The only real friend he had made since moving to Ohio was Mercedes Jones. Being around her made his entire body pulse. Taking breaths of fresh air during this spring weather was nothing compared to the soft musk she emitted. The ever-growing feelings of more-than-friendliness were restless within Sam. When he saw Quinn, a small patter of his heart were the feelings summed up for her, but Mercedes controlled a storm of emotions in his heart. Coming from a place with no dating experience or even _talking_ to women made him skeptical of overestimating the connection Sam shared with his best friend. The self-doubt ruminated deep within him.

Since the New Directions won their Regionals completion, the club had been caught in a stalemate of excitement and fear for Nationals. It had to be epic. The obstacles that now blocked their course were: money, time, and cooperation between Rachel versus everyone. Time and time again Sam would have to restrain himself from scoffing at her. Rachel Berry's obsession with herself was something no one could ignore. It was a blinding, white hot rage and no one had sunglasses strong enough. Everyone resented her for it, and Sam didn't feel bad. The entire "mono" epidemic had outed Quinn and Finn, causing a stir in the love life of not only, him but Rachel as well. Now everyone was a victim of Fabray and Hudson's annoying PDA and Rachel's dramatic overture to win Finn back. Sam couldn't care less about Quinn at this point, more of his hate melting into a neutral indifference these days. Stevie and Stacey often asked about her, including his mom, but Sam ignored their questioning. The Quinn Fabray chapter of his life was closed for good, in fact he was grateful for Finn and he hoped to become his friend again in time.

Approaching the school day ahead of Sam made his head feel fluttery. He hadn't seen Mercedes all weekend and she seemed too busy to keep a consistent text conversation.

Mustering enough energy to eat breakfast and get dressed was a chore. He pulled a skin-tight blue Henley over his chiseled definition and some blue jeans on the lower half. Converse donned his feet, as usual. The first step outside nearly brought him to his knees. Sam could feel the sun bearing down on his skin, even so early in the day. He smiled up at it giving thanks.

The halls were stuffier than outside, naturally. McKinley was almost never updated, not that he had been there long enough to judge it first hand, but a passerby could tell the walls and floors were as ancient as any public school. The funds received, if any, all went to Sue's Cheerios. The reign of her high-ponytails were even worse now since Brittany and Santana were full time Glee club members. He gave a wave to Brittany as he passed her by, but Santana made sure he didn't get a wave back. Sam didn't meet her eyes out of the same innate fear he always had, but instead rolled them up at the ceiling walking faster by their lockers. He wasn't as interested in **their** attention, anyways.

Sam strolled the long stretch of lockers before he saw the short muse he sought. She was looking for something lost in her neatly stacked locker, donned with pictures of Aretha, fashion cut-outs, and pictures of her friends she'd collected through the years. Her presence made Sam smile instantly. Before pulling her attention away from the task, he breathed her in a few more seconds longer. The soft waves of roses and citrus was far more comparable to a summer day than anything else in sight. Sam lightly tapped her on the right shoulder and quickly turned to duck to her left side. Mercedes turned around quickly, missing him by a millisecond, and looked around puzzled. Sam was smiling at her when she turned her attention back to her locker and saw him in her peripheral vision. Mercedes tried to keep a straight face but ultimately wavered to a warm smile, still not meeting his eye level. She pretended to ignore him as she took to her task. Sam didn't give up, but instead slowly merged his way to her locker, and picked up a photo that was haphazardly placed on the door. Sam scanned the photo for a moment and heard the snap of it being yanked from his hands. "You two used to be so close." Sam started to regret picking up the picture when he heard Mercedes sigh slowly. "Yeah. We used to." She was now scanning her locker for any distraction, but Sam persisted. "You know, she used to talk about you a ton. It's almost the reason why I decided to win your friendship." He was beaming brightly recounting how Quinn would talk about Mercedes as if she was a shining star, making his eyes sparkle too as he listened. Mercedes shut her locker with a slam, breaking Sam from his lull.

"Well she must put up a great front." Mercedes met his eyes now, which were increasingly misty as she continued. "Because nowadays, she's all about Finn and being prom queen. Before you got here Sam, Quinn was starting to become an awesome person. We even s-" She stopped mid-sentence closing her eyes and exhaling hard. Mercedes lips seemed to be trembling recounting the harsh memories of Quinn retorting to her old ways in less than a full school year. Sam instinctively put his hands on her arms to comfort her, rubbing up to her shoulder which was exposed by a black silky tank top. "Mercedes, Quinn is a serial "user". When someone is done benefiting her, that's when they stop existing. Don't let that effect you terribly, because you are better than her in every way." Sam's eyes were melting into her closed lids, pleading she would listen to his words. Mercedes huffed a sigh and moved her shoulders up and down to signal the removal of his hands. He did so unwillingly, but was met with a warm palm embracing his limp hand. She started to walk, dragging him behind her, and stopped at the bench in front of the Nurses office. Mercedes sat him down and she took a seat beside him. Sam hadn't taken his eyes off her for even a moment. She was staring into the empty station taking a deep breath. "It was here where we became really close. A damn Nurse's station." Sam's eyes darted to the station, and slowly made their way back to her. He was trying to piece together the puzzle she was laying in front of him. "It was our sophomore year, last year. I was on the Cheerios by some... miracle. I ended up in here after I starved myself for a few days."

Sam's eyes went from a confused state to anger immediately. No doubt Sue was telling her that she needed to lose weight. "I had taken a turn for the worst, and Quinn found me here after I passed out in the cafeteria. When I was conscious again, she was sitting there-" Mercedes pointed her finger to a now empty chair in front of a cot. Sam's eyes didn't move from her face. "She told me all this bullshit about how she knew how I was feeling. I was confused as _hell_ because Quinn had never been overweight a day in her life, except at that moment. She was about three months pregnant, I should've mentioned that." Sam nodded trying to keep track of it all, reassuring her he was listening he cupped his hand around hers. "It was the first time Quinn seemed... human. Being in Glee club with us, getting pregnant, being kicked from the Cheerios. She was finally at my level." Mercedes closed her eyes recounting the memory, almost smiling. "She stayed with me until my mom came, and we talked about tons of things I never knew about her. I even offered she stay at my house until the fight with her mom blew over. Did you know she was living with Puck?" Sam's mouth flew open, and Mercedes nodded in response. "So she stayed in my brother's room. It was empty since he was at college for the semester. We were actually becoming really close." Sam nonchalantly began to rub her hand with his fingers as she told the story. He was hooked on every word she was saying. "Then came Nationals and, it was actually really sweet, her mom showed up and told her it was time to come home. I was so happy for her. Then-" Mercedes was cut off by the sound of the first period bell ringing. She looked up at the clock to see that they were going to be late for first period. Sam's eyes widened as he saw Mercedes try to spring out of her chair, he attempted to stop her.

"No!" He grabbed her hands now, standing up with her. "You have to finish the story. What happened at Nationals?" He begged with her, his eyes smoldering. He felt her hands start to perspire. Weird. Usually she would have that effect on him and not vice versa. Sam bore his eyes deeper into her, oblivious to the effect his deep green eyes had on her. She was melting before him. "I- Class." She pulled her hands from his and wiped them on her jeans. "We have class, Sam." She broke the spell he held her in. As she went to turn around and walk away from him, he dodged around her and stood before her again. "Let's just skip, please? I feel we haven't spoken like this in a long time." Mercedes desperately tried to ignore the tall blond now standing before her. Sam thought he was about to strike her last nerve but he breathed a sigh of relief when she spoke again. "Samuel Evans, what am I going to do with you?" He beamed brightly at her, and now turned beside her and hooked his arm with hers. "You can escort me to your car, where you will tell me the ending to this story because I honestly can't wait to see what happens next." The place where her arm was locked with his would have been drenched with sweat had he worn a tee-shirt. Sam was pleased with himself for choosing a Henley.

Situated in Mercedes' SUV was a Rose air freshener, some more pictures of family and friends situated in her console, and of course a ton of CD's. She must have noticed Sam's eyes wandering to them, "They're just gathering dust now. I usually use my iPod and the aux cord." Sam fingered through them to get a taste of a better rounded Mercedes. He knew music was her whole life. Some surprising selections traveled through he finger tips: Muse, Lady Gaga, Journey, even a good mix of country. Sam lifted up a Rascal Flatts CD with a questionable eyebrow raise. "Hey, gotta support people that made it out of Ohio . Country isn't my thing at all but I give them props." Sam smiled brightly in response, "Country is a beautiful thing if it's done right." He winked at her and she tried to stifle a giggle. "No, I mean your selection is impressive. It's like a tiny little music store right here." She waved him off and laughed again.

He put her CD's back in their casing and turned towards her, sitting with his one leg folded in and the other handing off the seat. Mercedes didn't reciprocate but rather reclined her chair all the way back and settled into it. She looked content enough to fall asleep right there. He broke his stare, as he didn't want his eyes to wander too far to her fully stretched out body. "So... Nationals." Mercedes hummed lightly and folded her arms across her stomach. "Where did I leave off?" She questioned genuinely, her voice as soft as a whisper. Sam took her in and tried to whack his emotions down, his stomach swelling up into his throat. "Quinn's mom, I-I think." He had to look away again because he didn't want a certain body part to start swelling in response. Settling for a lone tree in the parking lot, and the leaved swaying from the breeze against it. Mercedes voice started again, still soft and lulled. "Right. She showed up right before it was our turn to go on. We could hear Vocal Adrenaline's last number starting up, which was the slot before us." She recounted the night in detail. "Quinn's face was so... relieved. It was like she was holding in a breath for those months she had been away from her, and she finally was able to release it." Sam imagined Quinn's small frame being crushed within her mother's arms after not seeing each other for so long. He couldn't imagine not being with his mom while facing such a life-altering time.

Sam's fingers twirled his sneaker strings as he listened intently, not looking at her but focusing on the leaves of the tree. "We were doing last minute vocal warm-ups when we heard a weird sound. Everyone was so focused on Quinn's reunion with her mom, and now..." Sam couldn't help but turn his eyes to her, which were now locked on him. "Her water broke, only minutes before we were about to go on." Sam's eyes grew large, and he was recounting Quinn's freak out at Sectionals a few months back. He understood now why she was in such a panic. "Then what?" Sam urged on the edge of his seat. "We panicked." Mercedes continued, "None of us knew what to do, especially Mr. Schue after his wife pretended to be pregnant." Sam couldn't hold in his laughter. "What?" He tried to breathe in and calm himself. What he hell had he missed last year at McKinley? Mercedes held in her laughter, "I know! It was a whole thing..." She shook her head, not letting her story get derailed. "That's for another time, I'm getting off track." Sam kept laughing despite his best efforts. Mercedes sat up straight and playfully punched his arm in an attempt to get him to snap out of his laughing fit. "Quit it Samuel!" She let out a laugh as well and he calmed down, surely not for long though. "Okay, okay. I'm going to ignore, or try to ignore, that-" He made a gesture towards her with his both of his hands, "So you can finish your story." She sat back in her chair now, this time crossing her legs. "Anyways!" Her eyes darted at Sam's red face. "We all packed into my SUV, I was too scared to drive. I handed the keys to Finn. He drove us to the hospital." Sam tried to imagine everyone prying themselves into the car like a can of sardines. "Not everyone fit of course, but Puck was beside him in the passenger seat, and Quinn was in between her mother and I in the back." She paused to look at Sam's reaction, which was a jaw slightly agape and widened eyes. "I think Mike drove whoever else couldn't fit in my car. It was one hell of a ride to the hospital. I thought my heart was going to explode, I was so scared for Quinn." Mercedes hand clenched up at the side of her, and Sam didn't hesitate to comfort her. She grabbed his hand in response.

"When we got there, Puck nearly flew out of the car. He started screaming at the poor nurses to get her a wheelchair. Quinn's mom looked like she was the only one who knew what to do. She was rubbing Quinn's back the entire time." Mercedes must've began to rub Sam's hand from recounting the memory. "I heard Finn tell us he was going to find a parking spot, but I didn't have time to respond. Once Quinn was in that chair, we were running down the hall full speed. I thought I was going to collapse if I stopped moving even for a second. Puck never left her side." Sam was captivated. It felt like he was there with her reliving it. "When we finally made it to the delivery room, the doctor stopped us. He was probably thinking we were crazy to even try to fit into that small ass room. He told Quinn to choose two people to come in with her." Sam knew the obvious choice would be Puck and her mother, he didn't doubt it for a second. "She actually chose... me. I was there when Quinn delivered Beth. I held her hand, man she is strong." Sam's eyes looked like they were going to bulge out of his head. He tried to wrap his head around the fact that Quinn chose Mercedes over her mother but when he thought about it, it wasn't so surprising. Mercedes is one of the most comforting, caring people he has ever met. When she's around, her aura will fill an entire room. His hand wrapped tighter around hers and he smiled brightly at her, just appreciating being chosen to be in her life.

They sat in silence for a long time. Sam tried to process everything she had told him, and it made his hatred for Quinn dissolve further. She was a good person at heart, but for some reason she never stuck around long enough for people to find that out. Mercedes was one of the rare few who actually saw that side to Quinn, and he could understand the hard feelings she felt towards Quinn for ditching her. "She was my best friend." Mercedes broke the silence to reminisce. "I just miss her a lot. Sometimes it turns into ugly resentment, but I still keep all of my pictures with her. We were important in each other's lives at one point." She looked up at him now. "I'm sure you can relate." Sam shook his head, "I though that one day I might love Quinn. When I gave her that promise ring, I had hope. When I took her to Breadstix and sung those duets with her, I was thinking wishfully. I knew that people like Quinn and I are designed to fall in love. Become high school sweethearts and eventually settle down and get married." Sam looked at Mercedes thoughtfully to watch her receive what he was saying. She was listening closely, still making small circles in his palm. "I realized I didn't want that with Quinn. When I learned she cheated on me with Finn, that's when I woke up." Sam sighed at the memory coming back to him.

Mercedes clasped his hand now, stopping the motions all together. "I didn't want someone who was using me for popularity or treated me like I was stupid. It was a mistake for me to force myself in that situation in the first place." Mercedes was still boring her eyes into him, a stare that he met apologetically. "I know you liked to play match maker. Quinn and I were just people that can't be matched." A small sigh left her lips before she responded. "I know... I just thought you would be good for her." Sam nodded agreeing. "I would've been. It did look really good on paper." Mercedes nodded slowly now. "That just means there is someone out there who looks good on paper and works out well, too. Maybe I can match you with that one." Her words left a sour taste in his mouth. How could she be so blind? She was the most fascinating person to have ever crossed his path. Sam tried to stifle his emotions, but even deep down he knew that he didn't care if she knew. He was only keeping this silent for her sake now. Mercedes Jones was honestly the one he had been searching for since he got to Ohio. A streamline of beauty and talent all wrapped up in a small package.

Sam licked his lips in repose, carefully considering the next words he would speak. He smiled warmly at her despite the lightning in his heart, "Maybe you're right. There's tons of girls out there." He gulped down the emotions spewing out of his tongue. It was like a fountain about to rain down. If Sam wasn't careful, he would scare her away. He couldn't let that happen.

The long conversation in Mercedes' SUV was like a refreshing nap he needed to carry on with the day. They had missed first period and almost didn't make it in time for the second bell. Sam didn't care. When they approached the school, everyone was too busy scrambling to their lockers to notice that they were just entering. Kurt scooped up Mercedes as soon as she set foot in the door, leaving her mouth agape and apology in her eyes as she looked back at Sam. He waved at her, attempting not to laugh at the wide-eyed Kurt who would no doubt have tons of questions about her whereabouts. Looking at the time on his watch, he stumbled to get to his locker in time. A few more periods until their Glee club meeting later. It would no doubt be filled with chatter about the upcoming Nationals competition, something he was now well versed in talking about since Mercedes caught him up to speed at what happened during the last one. Sam shook his head recalling what Mercedes had told him. What a nightmare that must've been.

* * *

 _All Talk_

Sam's classes passed by slow as ever. He knew the Glee club meeting was his next opportunity to see Mercedes again. It was like a huge wave he had to ride out in order to make it to shore where he could steady himself. When the final bell rang, he was off.

He nearly ran to the spot beside Mercedes, a top choice he rarely got to pick. She noticed him and looked up immediately to greet him with a smile. "Wow, it's been so long since I've seen you." Sam beamed at her with the brightest smile he could muster. Mercedes laughed heartily and shook her head returning her attention to the phone. The inevitable clack of Mr. Schue's feet turned everyone's attention to his entrance. He didn't speak at first, instead hastily grabbed a marker and began to write on the white board. He wrote huge numbers that made Sam's head hurt. Once Mr. Schue finished writing, he turned to face the crowd of confused students. "Saltwater taffy. It's what got my Glee club to Nationals way back in the day. We sold it for 25 cents a piece." Sam rustled his eyebrows and threw a confused look around the room. Everyone had the same glance. This was easily the worst idea he ever had.

Sam nearly snoozed through the entire meeting. From what he gathered, it was either sell taffy or no Nationals trip. Especially due to the fact that the Brainiacs now wanted a portion of the money that Glee didn't even have themselves. Fantastic. They should kiss their Nationals win good-bye now. He hoped their next meeting was one that wasn't so terribly received, because if this was their big idea there was no hope at all.

The rest of Sam's day stretched on until he retired to bed early. There was no way that anything else could top the satisfaction he felt while talking to Mercedes in her car. It was a feeling of serenity he had never felt before, aside from when they hung out. Sam texted her until she fell asleep. Maybe one day they could migrate to midnight voice conversations instead. He rattled his brain in his head trying to stump the enormous desire he had for Mercedes. He drifted off to sleep in hopes tomorrow would be another day he could satisfy what he so desperately sought out.

The next day passed by in a breeze. Keeping his phone nearby kept him on edge. He was in a group chat with the Glee club, excluding Rachel. Even Blaine was a member. Everyone was scheming ways to get out of selling taffy. Artie claimed there was no way in hell we would make a profit, Mike agreed. Lauren said selling taffy was below her. She also said taffy is the bitch of candy. The reality of becoming National champions was fading quickly into a dream. It made Sam feel exasperated.

A mandatory meeting was called for not soon after, to everyone's despair. Sam showed up late as he didn't really care to hear more about taffy. To his surprise the blonde substitute Holly Holiday was now front and center. "Glad you could join us Sam." Mr. Schue sat at the piano bench as Sam scurried to his seat next to Mike. He quickly turned away from the eyes staring at him to ask Mike what was going on. "Why is Holiday here?" Mike looked over with a grin on his face, "Well it certainly isn't about taffy." Mike nodded as he finished to reassure Sam about the idea brewing in his mind. He had no clue what he had missed, but he was sure it was going better than the last Glee club meeting. "So mark your calendars y'all, the next upcoming Saturday will be our Night of Neglect benefit. If you have any questions, you can direct them to Schuester. I gotta dash." Holiday skipped out after giving Mr. Schue a peck on the cheek. The words she said ruminated in Sam's mind. What the hell is a _**Night of Neglect?**_ He looked around the room with a questioning stare, but everyone was in their own zone smiling and clapping in excitement. Mr. Schue took the floor now, "I'll just give a quick filler for Sam. So our first ever benefit will take place next Saturday. We will be doing songs compiled of entirely neglected artists." The yelp of Rachel was unbearable. He glanced over to Mercedes quietly brooding in the corner. There's no way in hell she won't be the star of this. He's stood back for far too long to let Rachel take the spotlight yet again. Mr. Schue ended the meeting with a thunder clap and sent everyone on their way.

The group chat was now buzzing. What had happened yesterday was an indefinite sentence to a Rachel Berry show no one wanted to attend. Mercedes recounted an almost-fight in the hallway when the inevitable happened. "so it was me, mike, tina, lauren... and rachel. we were talking about how the songs we would sing for the nite of neglect." He read Mercedes' messages first amongst the others in the group chat. "which song r you doing?" Santana asked quickly before Mercedes could finish her story.'"something by aretha gurl. not the point yet!" Sam chuckled at the intensity Mercedes typed with when she was annoyed. It was more of a fuller more verbose language compared to the text slang used just between Sam and Mercedes. "miss thing comes out the cut saying SHE wants to do the closing number because SHE is the under appreciated one. can y'all believe the nerve." Everyone began to type at once. Sam stayed out of it to let the girls have their fair share at Rachel shaming. "oh i know midget doesn't want to get down with this. lima heights adjacent will make an appearance that night too if she wants." Santana was the first to throw shade, naturally. "I don't understand why she thinks she's the star of the show. Lately I don't see a point at all for competing because our special snowflake has to take center stage." Ouch. Quinn wasn't as responsive in the chat, but sometimes she made exceptions. "MERCEDES. meet me at the library, now. we gots sum things to discuss sista. :p" Lauren was the last to respond. Something was up, and soon enough everyone would be finding out. For now, the group chat was the only thing keeping Sam sane in the face of a "Night of Neglect" where the star isn't actually neglected but instead feeds off of everyone's energy and talent.

* * *

 _A Night For The Neglected_

Rehearsal week went by entirely too quickly. Mercedes was having an internal crisis due to the idea that Lauren crammed into her mind. She texted Sam about it frequently during the days leading up to tonight. He reassured her, as usual, she was going to be show-stopping.

Sam was on his way to their mandatory meeting and vocal warm-ups before the night began. When he entered the choir room she was greeted by a somber Mercedes with a half-hearted smile. Lauren wasn't far from her, burning her eyes into anyone who attempted to come close. Was she her manager or bodyguard?

Across the room, Berry was pacing and blabbering on to Quinn and Finn who looked even more distraught than anyone. Apparently Rachel had somehow been coerced into taking the job no one wanted: talent management. It was a fancy title for dealing with the demands of Mercedes. The show that was supposed to be fun turned into a nightmare.

Mr. Schue's entrance to the choir room didn't improve the atmosphere. It was no secret that he and Holiday were having issues a few days prior. They tried to hide it well, but the Glee kids find out everything. "All right guys. Big moment, lets get those pipes warmed up." He faked a smile as everyone gathered around the piano where Brad was already seated. Rachel began scales.

They didn't get past two before Santana came bursting through the door. "Hold up! Hold the hell up!" Everyone darted their eyes to her with her phone presented in front of her, "This just in, apparently Sunshine isn't coming tonight! She announced it on Twitter not too long ago." She crossed her arms staring at no one in particular. Her cold facial expression said what everyone was thinking.

Rachel erupted fourth like a spring. "I told you! She's evil!" She looked at Mercedes who had a surge of fear in her eyes at Rachel's sudden shouting. The room's attention was then directed at Puck who also had an announcement. "Guys, there's like six people out there. I say we all just blow this thing off and find an arcade." Sam was furious at the pondering eyes of his Glee club members. Were they honestly giving up so easily? He couldn't even comment.

It was Finn that broke the uncomfortable silence. No! No. Screw that. These people paid to hear us sing! What's that saying?" He looked around at the now confused eyes of the room. "The show's gotta go all over the place. Or something." Rachel was now at his side placing a comforting hand on his arm, "You mean 'The show must go on." Finn nodded agreeing as the entire room rolled their eyes. "No, Finn's right you guys. Whether there are six people or six thousand, we still have to give it everything we've got." The earth shifted on it's axis and the entire club agreed that the show must go on. Tina Cohen-Chang was up first.

Sam found his place at an off-center microphone. He decided against singing anything for this show and took the job of announcing. "Ladies and gentleman, please bring your hands together for Lykke Li's 'I Follow Rivers', performed by Tina Cohen-Chang." He gave the crowd... gathering... six random people, a very warm smile.

It was almost like a generator stumbled on the worst outcome possible for their first performance. Tina was maybe into the first thirty seconds of the song when she was met by scattered boos and insults from the audience. Sam looked out to see her stand drawn in on the microphone on the verge of tears. He let out a low gasp as the sound technician turned off the music in a halt. Everyone ran to the back room without saying a word.

It was Mike that ran to Tina's side to comfort her. Sam's heart seemed to drop into his stomach. He felt so terribly sorry for her and had no idea why. It could've happened to anyone else. He situated himself next to Puck in the back, not interested in saying anything.

"It's the worst I've ever felt in my entire life." Tina tried to choke through the sobs crashing down on her, but muffled garble is what came out. It was Artie who spoke what everyone was thinking. "That's it... We are calling this off. Who knew people could hate us even more than we thought?" He reached a comforting hand out to Tina who grabbed it immediately in thanks.

"I hate to say it guys, but we need to buck up." He motioned to Tina, still in shambles. "Tina, I am so sorry you had to go through that. But it was a great lesson for us all." How insensitive could he be? Sam zoned out the rest of his bullshit speech, but somehow they all concluded they were going to continue with the performances.

It was Mike's turn now to show off his dancing. Who could hate on good choreography? Sam took his place at the mic again. "And now the dance styling of Mike Chang. Please enjoy as he busts some moves to Jack Johnson's 'Bubble Toes'." He motioned to the sound technician as to start the music. Easily the best dancer Sam had ever seen. Kurt and Blaine cheered as Sam escorted him off of the stage. He was cheering loudly the entire way backstage. "This guy was amazing!"

Everyone clapped for Mike, as he awed the hecklers out of their chants. Mercedes was up next and it was the performance Sam was waiting for. The only mistake that the Glee club had made was making Mercedes a pre-requisite for Rachel. He shook his head in remembering the promise he made to get her the closing number. One day he would.

Emerging from Mr. Schue's office wasn't Mercedes but instead her manager/bodyguard Lauren. "Well good job everyone. Our star of the night hasn't felt very appreciated. She will not be performing." All of the blood rushed out of Sam's face. He didn't even blink an eye before pulling out his phone to message her. Lauren continued, "Mercedes Jones has left the building." Well, things couldn't get worse from here.

The search committee consisted of Sam, Rachel, Finn and Quinn. Everyone else either didn't care or were excited for their arcade plans afterwards. Holly Holiday announced she would talk to the crowd in order to distract them during the "intermission".

His phone never left his hands, messaging her and checking for a reply. No dice. It was needless to say, this night was a total disaster. Even the hecklers left after Holly's chat with them. To his distaste, he still announced her next. The gusto left his voice entirely as Sam was distractedly looking through his phone while being stuck behind the microphone. "And now, Holly Holiday." Cue sound guy. Cue opening and re-opening social media to see if Mercedes checked in anywhere.

Holly's performance was almost enough to put Sam to sleep. The entire night had him in a bad mood. He retired backstage before she even finished. He was greeted by the sight of Finn slouched over in a chair and Quinn rubbing his back. He rolled his eyes and rechecked his phone, choosing not to address them. He didn't mind their PDA on a normal Tuesday but this was vexing.

"Any luck?" Mike entered the room fervently with Tina on his arm. Her makeup still stained her cheeks but her eyes appeared less puffy. Her eyes begged the question as well. Sam turned to Finn for an answer, as he was the one who was supposed to be searching for her. "Rachel found her in her SUV. She's trying to talk things out with her." Sam's eyes now met Finn as he spoke. Why didn't he think of checking her car? Mike responded with a slow nod.

A few minutes passed as Sam twiddled his thumbs. This was a slow kind of torture. He texted her about a dozen times throughout the entire fiasco, and most happened in the past few moments he was backstage. "mercy. are u ok? pls let me know. we are all rooting for u." He made sure she felt comforted. Deep down, Mercedes inner diva struggled with insecurities. Not to mention she lost the closing slot to Rachel, yet again. He nearly jumped when he felt the phone vibrate his pocket. "thank u sam. omw back. ill explain this 2 u later." The words embraced him. Artie must've felt his mood shift and quickly questioned him, "Did you hear back?" Sam opened his mouth to respond but the sound of penny loafers sloshing on the tile turned his attention to the doorway.

Rachel looked like a drowned mess walking into the choir room. He could smell the rain on her as she made her way to the piano bench. "I tried guys. I don't think she's coming back." She took a seat and struck her hands on the keys. "I have to start warming up." Sam shook his head down at his lap. He didn't look up when he heard the voice of his ex-girlfriend now addressing Lauren, "Aren't you her manager? Why don't you get ahold of your client?" Lauren's face flushed as she looked at her phone. "See I would but, Ms. Jones isn't picking up her phone." Lauren made a nervous laughing sound that followed. The fact that Mercedes texted Sam back before anyone else made him happier than it should have. The sound of wet boots hitting the linoleum echoed in the hall.

Sam looked up to see Mercedes dampened figure. Even soaking wet, she still maintained a glowing complexion. She cleared her throats upon entering, "Ms. Jones is fine." The burly quarterback spoke again, this time in a snapping tone. "Wait, shouldn't one of us be carrying you in?" Mercedes scoffed as she rustled by him unamused, but still smiling. "I have only one more demand." The entire room held their breath.

"I demand you all get your butts out there and watch me sing." Sam stood up and began clapping loudly as did everyone following his lead. Mercedes is back in the building.

Sam quickly took her wet coat off for her and hung it up. He then proceeded to link his arm with hers and escort her to the stage. "I knew you wouldn't let us down." He made his southern drawl as soft as a whisper. She beamed up at him in response, nestling further into the grip he had her in. A comeback to an evening he thought was a goner.

Their arms left each other when she found center-stage. Sam backed away to his place at the microphone, not taking his eyes off of her. He gave her a finally thumbs up and a smile.

"And now, ladies and gentleman..." He paused to entice the flavoring of his next words. "Miss Mercedes Jones." His thundering voice was louder than any other performance. This wasn't an accident.

Unlike any other performance, Sam quickly ran to a seat in the audience. It so happened to be next to Santana, but he didn't care. His entire focus was on the dazzling woman now beginning to the lights hit her dress, it sparkled intensely around her curves. His eyes filled with starlight and his body gravitated towards it. This was the definition of star struck. Not a single person was siting straight in their seat. Her voice sang as the angels above listened intently, and the entire room was melting in her palms.

Would he ever hear a more heavenly sound?

When she finished, everyone was begging for an encore. Sam clapped the loudest and the longest. No way in hell was he announcing Rachel after that, there was **no** performer who could even compare.

An electric spark tingled through Sam's body. Listening to Mercedes sing was one of the greatest gifts on God's green earth he could fathom. Rachel had to admit it, and gave her props even so. Miss Mercedes Jones was the closing act, and the house had been brought down.

He almost rushed she stage afterwards, tripping and stumbling in the dimly lit auditorium. When Sam found her, he gave her an enormous hug. Where was this woman his entire life? He caved so quickly. Mumbling into her hair, he spoke softly to her. "You were incredible. Amazing. Words don't do it justice." She hugged him back, giving in completely as Rachel wandered off. "Thank you, Sam." Mercedes seemed breathless. She pulled away and looked him in the eyes. "Thank you for believing in me. I know that I'm capable of anything. I feel such an adrenaline rush!" She smiled and dipped away quickly when she saw Tina come backstage to get her hug. Sam watched in awe at the small girl who could bring the world to its knees. She was starting to understand it more completely, too.

* * *

 _Whew. This chapter was a long time coming, and I hope you all enjoy. Some important character development for Sam and Mercedes. Necessary Rachel hate. Why the hell is she the way she is? Please leave a review and suggestions. I seriously can't thank you guys enough for sticking with me and waiting on this chapter. Love y'all._

 _More updates soon!_


	11. Born This Way

_AUTHOR UPDATE: Guys... I've missed you all so much. I hope my absence didn't feel like it took too long. This story hit incredibly close to home, and I needed to take some time off from writing. But, Samcedes is in my heart forever and their story goes on without a doubt. So here is Chapter 11. LONG AWAITED! Thank you all for waiting SO patiently, I couldn't write without your support._

* * *

The feeling was unmatched. Night of Neglect was an absolute bust, up until the closing act. Sam couldn't even believe the trail of nonsense leading up until that night. Mercedes Jones, the woman with the best voice hands down he had ever heard was almost passed up for the spotlight. For Rachel. The small Jewish girl who went hysteric whenever she felt everyone wasn't worshiping the ground she walked on. Sam rubbed his eyes trying to get the feeling of disgust from his face to disappear. He looked around the four corners of his small room and swung his arm to his bed-side table to check his phone. 3 new messages. "sammuel!" Open. "pleeeease answer! your shoe size? need to know asap" From his mom. He guessed she was finally sick of his ratty converse he wore every day. He remembered Kurt calling them vintage and smiled his trouty smile. Third message, open. "black or red dresses for nationals? tina is brainstorming". From Mercedes with two pictures attached, one of her in a silky black dress with a golden bow and one with Tina in a long purple frock. Sam blushed **hard**. Has Mercedes shown that much leg before? More specifically, thigh? His fingers slammed the keys on his phone. "BLACK DEFINITELY!" Send. "Dammit!" He sighed and blushed harder, this time out of frustration. "sorry caps was on! the black looks amazing." Was he allowed to say his friend looked stunning? He quickly went back into his messages to save the picture.

Sam rushed to get dressed and get out to his truck in time to be not the last person at school. With nationals coming up no glee member wanted to be to school early for fear Mr. Schu would pull them into an impromptu rehearsal. They were being pushed to their limit. Everyone was okay with that because they really wanted the win, but they were tired. And stressed. And a little bit always screaming internally. The school day went by almost too quickly and it was time for the dreaded meeting where Sam's feet would be blistered probably the fourth time that week. He settled in and dropped his bookbag next to Mercedes who was on her phone texting. Sam towered over her, trying to be nosy. "Hey lady," he said as he sat with a thunk on the bench next to her. Mercedes looked over at him and rolled her eyes while she let out a signature Mercedes slow laugh. "Hey sir, I don't know who you're calling lady but it ain't me." She looked down at her phone again and Sam leaned back and closed his eyes. "Yes ma'am." He grinned widely at her response.

Sam had dosed off and before he knew it was being nudged by Mercedes. "Sam, it's time." His eyes jolted open, looking up he saw Mercedes leaning over him, her face so close to his. He could smell her floral perfume subtly rolling in his direction. His thoughts immediately wandered somewhere else… Somewhere a friend's mind doesn't wander. "Time for…" He let his sentence trail, trying to get his mind clear he shook his head abruptly. "Rehearsal, sir." Sam leaned back further into his slump and put his head down to rest on his chest as if he was going back to sleep. Before he knew it, his hands were being cupped by small hands that he was too familiar with. Sam's head lifted instantly, to see Mercedes facing away from him and dragging him to the middle of the stage like she was trying to pull an oversized wheelbarrow. He couldn't hold back his enormous chuckle and she couldn't either. Mr. Schue sat perched on a piano waiting for them to get in position. Sam gave Mercedes one final wink across the room before their dancing began. They were only a few steps in before a loud thud hit the ground. Sam looked over at the noise and saw Finn holding his hand and looking down at Rachel on the ground. Finn rushed over to her and stammered, "Oh my god. I am so sorry, are you okay?" Pure shock washed over his face and he was as pale as a ghost. Mr. Schue hopped down quickly, "Let's get you to a doctor." He quickly escorted her out of the gym and Finn followed suit with Quinn. Sam stood there in a haze. Well, at least practice was over for the day.

Rachel's nose was broken, completely snapped. Somehow Santana got ahold of the x-ray picture and was sending it out via the club groupchat and then personally e-mailing it to your inbox just in case you didn't see it. Sam wasn't Rachel's biggest fan, but he would never wish that on anyone. He locked his phone and stared off into the trees of the McKinley parking lot. He stared until the sky turned a dark purple, twilight. His phone buzzed and it made him snap out of his trance. Sam's face lit up, a text from his most frequent contact. "O.M.G pics of rachels nose are BAD. hpefully her voice is ok for nationals! :- (" Mercedes was probably the least selfish person Sam had ever known. He replied "she will be fine. i cant look at pics like that, so sick. maybe this means lead solo is up for grabs ; )" Sam was pushing it, but he knew better than anyone that Mercedes deserved that solo, and he was never going to shut up about it. Vibrate. "yeah but this isn't how i want to get it ;/" He grimaced. If a broken nose is what it takes… He put his phone in the console and put his truck in reverse. He needed to go home and get some sleep before the make-up rehearsal before school tomorrow. "Thanks a lot, Finn" Sam mumbled under his breath.

* * *

Sam grimaced at the presence of one of his least favorite people. David Karofsky. Standing in front of him in his glee club. He crossed his arms and shared looks with Mercedes sitting next to him. She rolled her eyes at the character standing before them. Sam just knew they were both thinking the same thing when David said he wanted to apologize and make amends. He didn't hold back his thoughts, "Maybe I should punch him in his face instead." Mercedes followed suit, "Yeah. Really." Principal Figgins interjected quickly before anyone else could get a jab in. It was the same bullshit. No one wanted to focus on the bully's actions, only his fake apologies. Sam nearly rolled his eyes out of his head when Santana announced she was dating the cretin. A new low for Santana he could admit, but not shocking. Although if it got Kurt back it was worth it.

* * *

 _"I walked across an empty land… I knew the pathway like the back of my hand."_

It was a beautiful sunny day at McKinley. The kind that don't come this time of year very often. Sam took it as that meant it had to be a good day. He smiled at the sun and closed his eyes, only needing his letterman jacket over top a t-shirt. Sam sat talking with Tina, Mike and Mercedes during one of the few instances he wanted to be outside during lunch. Mercedes' mind seemed occupied by something else as Tina talked their ears off about who knows what. As soon as there was a pause Mercedes stood up. Sam was caught off guard as she called the glee club to round up around her. His mouth hung open slightly as he watched her audience gather. Noah came late, as usual. "What the hell is going on?" Mercedes just smiled, "Well my fellow glee-clubers. It's noon. Which means…. Its officiallll." She had the widest smile, Sam could only watch her. "What's official?" He asked as though he missed something obviously important as he was fixated on Mercedes. Kurt burst through a grouping of people at the top of the concrete stairs. "My transfer!" He shouted above the noise. "Kurt Hummel is officially back at McKinley!" The entire glee club roared in applause. Sam howled and clapped and smiled his biggest smile as he watched Kurt pull Mercedes in for a big hug. Sam was sending her a very strongly worded text message for not telling him the big secret ahead of time.

Kurt was eager to get started working on Nationals in his rightful place, but Mercedes also had a surprise for him. Sam's jaw dropped when he saw Blaine and the entire Warblers ensemble form on the McKinley stairs. Everyone fought back tears as Kurt hugged Finn tightly. Mercedes went in for another hug, circling back to Sam wiping her eyes. Sam looked at her and smiled sweetly. "Oh, Cedes." She pretended to shrug it off. "Stop it Sam, there's something in my eye." She looked at the ground smiling as she wiped her eye. If only he could open up his arms and give her a big hug right about now.

* * *

The next school day flew by in a rush. One minute he was in Geometry and the next he was wearing a shirt that labeled him "Trouty Mouth". He wasn't thrilled, but at least his green zip-up hoodie would hide him from the cruel hallways of McKinley until this performance was over with in the auditorium. He wasn't afraid of being called trouty, but he mostly wanted Mercedes to be the one looking at his lips. Sam's mind wandered there daily, what was wrong with him? He rubbed his temples and his shaggy hair. Was she ever not on his mind these days? He sat through lunch, next to Mercedes of course. Sam was begging for her to show him a peak of what her shirt said, since it was supposed to be a secret up until the big reveal during the song. She rolled her eyes at him again. He loved it. "Pleaaaase 'Cedes?" He formed his big lips into a pout, there is no way she could resist. Mercedes sighed and picked up her empty tray. Sam looked up at her and gazed with excitement in his eyes. "Well come on." She cocked her head to the side as she was motioning him to follow her out. He grinned with his teeth and abided. When they got to the hallway Mercedes looked both ways and unzipped her jacket. "Are you ready? It has to be quick" she whispered as if they were doing something illegal. Sam braced himself as if he was about to start a sprint down the hall, jokingly. He shouted, "Go Miss Jones!" She quickly opened her hoodie. "No Weave!" She smiled so wide he was stunned. Sam mimicked a slow clap and Mercedes bowed. "Santana hit that one on the nose" He grinned. "Actually" Mercedes lifted up a finger to wag, "Santana made me one that said 'Big Mouth!' so I had to take this" she motioned up and down to her new and improved shirt "Into my own hands." Sam let out a loud guffaw. He crossed his arms and squinted his eyes "I see. That's my brand Miss Jones and you didn't allow her to compromise it." Mercedes giggled and covered her mouth trying to suppress it. She nodded her head slowly, "You are something else Samuel." He smiled at her, just so happy to be alone with her. "Hopefully I'm something good." Sam's voice started to flirt as he couldn't control himself. Mercedes could tell, "Oh you definitely are." She smiled back at him. Sam thought that Mercedes was just being her charming self, but he hoped it was something more.

The crowd of the glee club was gathered around the auditorium. All their hoodies were zipped ready for their big performance of Born This Way. This was the first time he would be celebrated for being trouty mouth, and he could look forward to that thought. No other than Kurt Hummel would start off the song for his iconic return. Everyone was ready, except for Santana. Sam's annoyance with Santana grew by the day. Artie was the first to point out her absence. "Where's Santana guys?" Sam interjected, "Probably somewhere making out with Karofsky." Everyone cringed at the thought. "Yeah, he can have her…" His voice trailed off now trying to put the image out of his mind. Mercedes looked at him and stuck out her tongue, and he mouthed the word "sorry" with a big grin. Music, check. Places, check. Everyone was ready for this performance.

 _"I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way."_

* * *

Sam's eyes flicked with exhaustion. The ride home was a struggle. He was going home to change and then out to get pizza with most of the glee club. His phone was buzzing in his pocket from the surge of messages in the group chat. One from Brittany "what if pizza was just another vegetable in disguise?" Tina replied with the thumbs down emoji. Noah asked which place we were going to, because if it was a certain one of three that he had been banned from he would need a raincheck. Sam opened a new message to Mercedes: hey maybe we should just get pizza together, the gang is driving me craaaaazy. He chuckled staring at the message, wondering if she would know he was suggesting a date. Sam rubbed his eyes and looked at the pinkish sky and the sun setting in it. He was so grateful for his life and everyone in it.

The door of his truck opened, and he lugged his bookbag inside. Slamming it onto the bench in the entry way Sam saw a disheveled mass of boxes blocking entry to the kitchen. "Mom?" He called out in confusion. Around the corner was the sight of his mother sitting at the dining room table holding her face in her hands. No one was around but his mom. He didn't say a word, only stared at her. She looked up at him and that's when he realized she had been crying. His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he ignored it. Buzz. Ignore.

"Sam... Sit down. We need to talk." He stood still. "It's about our family." Sam still froze. "Somethings happened, Sammy. Come, sit."

…

"Please."


	12. Rumors

_The Hardest Part_

"Can you please say something Sam?" His eyes darted to her once again. Sam felt like he had been standing there for ages.

Nausea crept up his throat. Sam swallowed it down, clenching his fists and closing his eyes. He tried talking but he had to choke out his next words. "How could this happen?" Sam opened his eyes to see his mother's distraught face looking at him. "It just… happened. It's no one's fault." She took a deep breath in, probably to hold back the sobs climbing up her throat. "I am so, so sorry." She stared into his face, which went blank in a mix of confusion and pain. All his thoughts from earlier that day meant nothing now. Sam wanted to go and be alone in his room, but he couldn't get his feet to move. Frozen he stood there letting his mother's eyes bore into him.

"So, what do we do now?" Sam asked, trying his best to keep it together. "It is going to take some figuring out, and we will all have to get jobs, but we can make it." He crossed his arms and nodded his head, he could do that much. Sam pictured the faces of Stevie and Stacy, their bewildered looks when his mom will have to break the news to them. The Evans family were losing their home. Sam had come home to the crowded boxes in the hallway and the tears of his mother having a moment while his father took his brother and sister out to ice cream for the last time for an immeasurable amount of time. The shock of it all was still hitting him, as he stood there across the room from his mother. She had obviously had a little time to process this. "When were you planning on telling me dad lost his job?" The sting of it all became clear once Sam started to process the situation. People don't lose their house overnight. "Today. When we had no other choice to give the house back to the bank." Sam grit his teeth and looked at the floor. The sting in his eyes made his nose hurt.

"We have about two weeks to find somewhere to go. Your grandmoth-" Sam's head shot up faster than his mom could finish the words. "No." He protested, staring straight as his mother with her mouth still open from the words she couldn't get out. "Don't say it. We aren't moving back to Tennessee, I won't." His mother looked down at her own hands that were fidgeting, folding and unfolding. "Sam, we don't have a choice. It's that or we will be out on the streets." She couldn't finish the last two words without her voice breaking. "I don't care. I'm not leaving McKinley." Sam knew not to shout at his mom but his emotions were getting the better of him. She burst into a sob that was extremely unlike Mary Evans. He immediately felt regret. "Mom, don't cry please. I'm sorry." Sam rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him back weakly. "We're going to be okay. I'll get a job. I'll sell my truck, I don't care. We are going to be okay." The odd feeling of comforting his mother while he was also falling apart made his head reel. All he cared about was his life at McKinley, and now his family's safety. What he truly wanted right now was to talk to the one person who would make him feel better no matter what.

* * *

 _The Rest_

Hours passed as Sam laid in his bed tossing in and out of sleep. He wondered when he would be able to enjoy the warmth of a bed again after his family left their home. He shook the thought out of his head. Sam's mission on this Saturday was simple, to sell his truck. It was a moderately nice pickup, with a good engine and a clean interior. It was used but there were lots of teenagers in Ohio eager to buy a truck. He was expecting someone to come to his house later that day to see if it was worth purchasing. The price he put on it was enough to fund his family staying in a nearby motel for at least a few weeks while they figured things out. It was going to suck walking to school, but he could make a workout of it. There was no way in hell that he was asking his friends for rides. The thought of being given free rides in the passenger seat of Mercedes' SUV made him cringe. He knew she wouldn't hesitate, but that wasn't the point.

Sam threw the covers off him and got dressed for the day. He was finishing up packing his room. All unnecessary clothing was being donated to Goodwill, and all memorable things would be in his messenger bag for safe-keeping at all times. He didn't have very many; a few photographs, some small knickknacks. The buzz on his phone interrupted his packing as he checked for a message from his dad. It was Mercedes Jones, of course concerned because she hadn't heard anything from him since he got the "stomach bug" and had been out of school for a few days. Sam was shocked Sue didn't dig up the real reason from Figgins and plaster it along the hallways at McKinley. "sammm, sorry to bother but I just wanna know ur ok! i can bring you chicken soup if you want : )" He usually let hours pass before he messaged her back these days. It killed him, but the all too real pain of distance he had to keep made him feel sick to his stomach. Like he _actually_ had a stomach bug. Sam wanted more than anything to tell his best friend exactly what happened. He just couldn't work up the energy to explain it to her yet. Decidedly he responded early to this message before she showed up at his house unexpectedly. "no im okay, cant eat much. thank you for checking on me lady" Sam smiled at his phone, happy with his nickname for her. He imagined her scrunching her nose up at him while she tried not to giggle. "hey now" She texted back in a flash and Sam erupted with laughter. "i miss u sam" Her words rang and his heart fluttered up into his throat. God, he missed her too. Much more than she could know. "miss you too mercedes jones".

* * *

 _Favor_

At the bottom of Sam's list was sending a text message to Quinn Fabray. His mom kept mentioning the nice blonde girl they always saw at church. Sam grimaced, "That same blonde was responsible for making me feel miserable." His mom rolled her eyes "Sam, none of us like the situation. Your father and I need help with a few of these jobs. I wish I could do more heavy lifting, but I can't." Sam let out a groan. "Doesn't she have a daughter?" Sam's mother had pleading in her eyes. "Is that the criteria for being a good babysitter? She gave her up for adoption because she got knocked up while she was in her sophomore year of high school, mom." His mom sighed now, and Sam rolled his eyes knowing he would regret his next words. "Fine, I'll text her. I'll see if she can spare some time. She owes me anyway." His mother's face lit up as she ran to give Sam a hug. "Oh thank you Sammy. You know I appreciate all you do for our family." Sam gave her a hug back. Yeah. She better appreciate this.

On the concrete steps of the motel, Sam was perplexed. How do you start a text message to your ex-girlfriend who you still despise but need a favor from? "Hey, Quinn. Its Sam" Too formal? Backspace. "hey quinn its sam, im wndering if you can meet me." Too informal. Backspace. "quinn, its sam. Txt me back when you see this, its important." Well, that'll do. Sam hit send and waited for his impending doom. He looked up at the night sky comparing it to the night before he started McKinley. So much has changed in just one school year.

His phone buzzed on the ground next to him. "Hi sam, what's going on?" Surprisingly he was comforted by the quick response. Maybe it won't be so bad. "i need a favor. kinda big" God. Never mind, it was bad. The feeling in his stomach made his skin crawl. Asking her for a favor was something he never wanted to do. "well what is it?" Sam closed his eyes hard and rubbed his temple. How was he going to explain this? Was there a way to do it over text, even? When he asks this favor, his secret is going to be out. "its hard 2 explain. jst trust me plz? can you come 2 the canton inn? its off of rte 172."

Sam sat there as the panic set in. Quinn will be the first person to know about Sam's family losing their home. And she was finding out only because he needed her to babysit Stevie and Stacy. Greaaat. He saw her small red car pull in to the empty parking lot. He waved her in and waited until she turned her car off to stand up. As she made her way up the stairs, as he was trying to find the words to explain. "Hey." Quinn had a perplexed look. "What is this? I don't understand." She looked at him as his pained expression did most of the talking. "I'm sorry for asking you to come here like this." He sat back on the concrete and patted the spot next to him. She cocked her head, but she made her way up the stairs to sit. "The favor I have to ask is a big one. Well, not the favor itself but the situation behind it. I need to trust you can keep my secret." Quinn's eyes were concerned. "Sam what's going on? Why are we at this shabby motel in the middle of the night?" His eyes narrowed and he gulped down any sort of snarky comments he wanted to make. "I'm getting to it…" He looked at her in the eyes, "Quinn can you promise you'll keep this secret? You can't tell anyone. Not even Finn." She opened her mouth to respond, taking in breath as to say _No way_ , but Sam quickly added on. "You owe me." Quinn closed her mouth suddenly and looked down at her feet. She nodded, still confused. "Well, let's hear it since I've come all the way here."

Looking back to the doorway of his motel room Sam blew an exasperated sigh. "I need you to help me babysit Stevie and Stacy." Quinn's eyebrows scrunched. She followed his gaze to the doorway and her expression became more concerned. "Babysit…Here?" Sam was quiet. When Quinn looked at him again, he nodded. "I don't understand." Her tone changed to a pained whisper. "A few weeks ago, I didn't really have a stomach bug." He looked up at her and met her eyes. "I was moving in here with my family. We… lost our house." Quinn's eyes became the size of the moon and her eyebrows shot up. She didn't say anything and let Sam continue. "We've been living here for a few weeks now. It's been…hard. No one knows. Not Kurt, or Finn, or Mercedes. Not even ." They sat there quietly for a few moments looking anywhere but at each other. "I'm sorry." He looked at her face again as she spoke. "I'm really sorry this happened to you. Of course, I can babysit. Can you tell me how this happened?" Sam felt a wave of relief, she had agreed. "I don't really want to get into it right now. Maybe another time. I actually have to get going to work. Stevie is watching TV, and Stacy is sleeping. If you could just sit with them until about 11, I should be back by then." Quinn touched Sam's shoulder and reassured him. "Of course. Don't worry." Sam sighed, relieved. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

Sam showed her in to the room. He showed her the microwave, the TV remote, a chair to sit in. "And there's a collection of DVDs' if nothing good is on. We decided to keep those." Quinn nodded and put on an empathetic smile. "I've got it under control. Go, they'll be fine." Sam smiled back. Probably the first time in months he and Quinn have gotten along. He locked the door with his key when he got onto the small porch. Stevie waved out of the window and he waved back with a smile. This was the biggest thing he had asked of anyone, and he didn't feel so bad anymore knowing that they would be taken care of while he's gone.

* * *

 _Rumor Has It_

When he awoke in a panic, Sam grabbed his phone to check the time in the pitch black. The feeling of the ground slipping out beneath his feet. Today was his first day back at school since moving out of his house and into a motel with his family. It wasn't the best-looking place in town, or anywhere, but it was a shelter with a bed and running water. He went to the bathroom and ran the faucet until his fingertips became hot. Sam stared at his face in the reflection. In the fluorescent lights his green eyes were dim and yellow toned. The situation at hand has him exhausted. When his brother and sister aren't bouncing off the walls while babysitting, he was trying to find a second job on his shared family laptop. They didn't sell it for the sole purpose of job searching and having a way to write e-mails to prospective employers.

Sam's escape from the world relied heavily on IM'ing Mercedes, Mike, Tina, Artie and Kurt. The internet connection was poor at the motel, but while he was babysitting Stevie and Stacy it was his only solace. His parents were gone most of the day, looking for work and doing odd side jobs for quick cash. Now that he was going back to school, he was going to have to try his best to walk back to the motel in time to get them off the bus, and not leave his afternoon classes too early to keep being inconspicuous. Sam prayed this wouldn't have to go on for long. If there was any way that the glee club were going to win Nationals, everyone would have to give their all, and Sam had nothing to give right now.

After sending his brother and sister off to school on the bus, Sam went to get dressed. He wore a simple t-shirt with a plaid flannel over top. He fixed his hair again and again in the mirror. It was at its shaggiest right now, but a haircut was one of the last things on Sam's list right now. Finally, it was combed to the side and looked somewhat presentable. He let out a long sigh and shut the motel lights off. "You got this Evans." He peaked his head out of the door to clear the coast before he exited. The only issue with living off the freeway is the possibility of being spotted by his classmates while walking to school. Sam pulled his hoodie out of his bag and slid it on, leaving the hood to cover his face as he walked. "Meh. Safe enough."

Tina was the first to greet him, giving him a big hug and crying into his shirt. "Oh my god Sam! We were worried!" Sam's straight face over Tina's head made Mike laugh at him. "Okay, let him breathe." Mike pried her off like it would be the last time that Tina would ever see him again. Mike gave him an apologetic look as he wheeled an over-bearing Tina into the school. Sam collected himself and looked at the front doors for a moment. He dragged his feet into the lobby and then to his locker before the first bell. What a weird feeling, to be back at school. He was expecting much worse, like a panic attack once he set foot inside the building. Instead he felt numb.

The loud first period bell made him move quicker. _Pull yourself together Evans._

He was closing his locker as he saw Rachel Berry making fast approach to his person. _Why? Why now._ She opened her mouth into a wide smile and stammered out a cheerful but nervous "Hey!" Sam stood there, probably more confused than he has ever been by Rachel's antics. "Why are you talking to me?" This was the last thing he expected from his first day back. He hasn't even seen Mercedes yet. "Can't I just say hello?" Sam adjusted himself. "I guess… I…. It's just that Santana told me to never be alone with you because you would try to steal all of my gold." Sam wasn't trying to hurt her feelings, but the words slipped out. Really, she brought this on herself for bothering him. Rachel's face shimmered with confusion. She stammered, "Huh. Okay, u-um. Anyway, I got you this." She pulled up a 3 pack of cherry Chapstick, the kind that is end-capped at the Dollar Tree. Sam took them and blankly stared at her. "I know everyone is always making fun of your lips, but I think they're cute _and_ worth weather-proofing." He continued to stare, his jaw becoming slightly unhinged with every word to follow. What in the hell? She carried on anyway, "So considering we're both single and I think your lips are cute, I was wondering if you would…" Oh no. "Go to prom with me." Sam spit out his first thought "As in your date?" Rachel flashed a gleaming smile excitedly and followed with a high pitched "Yeah!" Without hesitation Sam gave his answer "No." Her face dropped. "No, as- as in?"

"As in, no prom." Rachel let out a confused "Oh…" The look of disappointment made Sam feel the slightest bit of empathy and jumped to defend his answer. "I don't think I'm going." Yeah, that's no question. No money equals no prom. Rachel took the opportunity to make it about herself "What? Are you worried that Finn will be jealous?" That was the last of Sam's worries, but he couldn't let Rachel know the real reason. Screw making her feel better. "Look… You're just not my type." Her face turned desolate, and he had to get out of there before she tried to convince him otherwise. Sam's type was probably down the hall. "Anyway Rachel, uh thanks for the lip chap." Lip chap? Sam didn't care. He hurried away to leave Rachel with her thoughts. Crisis averted, for now.

With rehearsal being in the middle of the school day now Sam wouldn't have to skip it to meet his siblings at the motel. He was situated in a corner reading this week's sheet music assignment when he heard the booming voice of Finn Hudson entering the room. "What the hell is this dude?" Sam grimaced and turned around, surely mistaking the voice being directed at him. Finn didn't hesitate for a second, reading off of the school newspaper in his hand. "Hot blondie cheerleader is having secret moonlight motel rendezvous' with big lipped blondie?" Sam stepped into defensive mode, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. What in the fuck? "What? Where does it say that?" He tried to grab the paper from Finn's hand. "Right there. Front page of the school newspaper." Finn's voice boomed inches from his face. Quinn was already leaping from her chair and landing at Finn's ear. "You don't seriously believe this do you?" There was no denying that this looked, well, horrific. Finn jumped back in, "Well why shouldn't I? Why wouldn't he do the **same** thing I did to him?" Quinn replied "Because it's just gossip Finn!"

In an already insane whirlwind, Santana was accused of being gay by her former best friend in that same news article. Finn surely didn't care in that moment, because he was shoving into Sam's chest. "I ought to punch your face in!" Oh hell to the no. Sam bunched his fist up and popped it into Finn's chest defensively. This has gotten out of hand. "Oh you've got some nerve accusing me of cheating when you're the one who took her when she was my girl!" Sam's voice had never been louder in that moment. His numbness replaced with fury. If only Finn knew the real reason why Quinn had been at that motel. Quinn threw herself in-between them and Finn stormed out. tried to chase him, get him to come back but he was gone in a flash. The pit in Sam's stomach opened once again and he felt like the he was going to lose his mind.

The days have been the roughest they've ever been. Sam was exhausted in school, exhausted at… the place he was living currently. He was always quick to catch himself when he thought of the word "home." The secret was bearing on him and straining every relationship in his life. His parents felt nothing, but guilt and his most important friendship seemed to be crumbling. He had no time to himself apart from the few minutes at the motel before Stevie and Stacy got home from school. Quinn had been coming over a few times per week now to help babysit, which had fueled the school newspaper's blatant attempts at making his life even more of a living hell. The only good sleep Sam was getting happened during study hall. It seemed like nothing could make Sam's life worse, and everything kept adding up. That was his opinion up until he ran his delivery route that night and rang on the inconspicuous doorbell of Kurt Hummel.

Luckily Finn wasn't home, although it probably would've been easier and then he wouldn't think that Sam was hellbent on getting Quinn back. While he sat on Kurt's couch explaining the story to him and Blaine, he couldn't help but get misty-eyed. He wished that it was him cuddled up with someone special on the couch ordering in a pizza. Kurt's eyes welled as he held Blaine's hand. Even though Sam felt a pang of jealousy looking at this loving couple he felt relief knowing that someone else was keeping this secret. It was starting to eat away at him like nothing before.

After the journey to school for his third day back, Sam thought that he was out of the woods. He was ready to just try and get back on track and just attend school like a normal teenager who wasn't homeless. It was a normal glee club practice, Rachel telling how important it was that she sings her song first. Sam sat back ready to hear a female interpretation of Go Your Own Way by the one and only Fleetwood Mac. The guitar in that song made Sam's heart pound. He desperately missed playing his own…

Everything was good and well until Rachel made it obvious that she chose this song to sing to Finn. In front of his girlfriend no less. And the entire glee club. He was cringing in his chair at the aftermath. After the thunderous applause Quinn didn't hesitate to start her confrontation. "Hmmm… Don't you think it's maybe a little… inappropriate that you chose to sing a love song to my guy." Sam didn't have to look at her to know that her expression was dumbfounded. Usually Rachel is one to keep her cool when being talked at by Quinn but it was obvious she had **enough.** "God! You are such a hypocrite! You little miss perfect prom queen. You're a CHEATER, who CHEATS in cheap motels with Sam."

Sam's heart dropped into the floor. It was almost too much to process the words that flew out of Rachel's mouth in one quick motion, like a knife cutting through the thick tension in the air. He zeroed in on the floor tile in front of him. Instead of turning red with embarrassment he was frozen with fear. He could barely focus on the rest of the conversation, but they were speaking so loudly it broke through. "Oh my god. NOTHING is going on between Sam and I!" tried to keep the peace. "Okay, enough guys…" He was abruptly cut off by Santana- "You know I blame Sam for all of this." Of course. It was like they all began attacking him at once, holding him down and taking their individual jabs at him. Lauren wondered out loud why he didn't have anything to say for himself. Then Puck continued by saying what he was doing was "not cool."

His lips puffed and he could feel the rage building in his chest. Sam couldn't take it any longer. He spun around in his chair to face Santana "Shut up! Oh my god. Look I'm not messing around with Quinn or Kurt or any one of those guys. They're just helping me!" The next voice that spoke betrayed him the deepest. "Is that what we're calling it now?" Mercedes sat on the edge of her chair. Mercedes. This had gone too far. He was sick of the lies, the rumors that obviously have been messing with everyone's better judgement. It was now or never… broke the silence next. "Wait, hold on. How were they helping you out?" Sam inhaled deeply considering his response. For one he could continue to lie, make something up. But his soul just couldn't take this any longer. He let out a sigh.

"Kurt… was bringing me clothes. Quinn was helping me babysit my little brother and sister." He sat there, numbed by the truth spilling from his mouth. Did he really just say that? Finn's booming voice was next. "Then why were you in that motel?" Sam's numbness turned to anger. Frustration. Pain. All at once. He erupted in his chair, his entire body shaking "Because **that's where I live now."** Finn's face phases from accusation to instant realization, but Sam wasn't done. "My day lost his job a few months ago. Then we lost our house! So now we live in **that** motel. In one room."

Silence fell upon the entire room. He couldn't stand to sit in their presence any longer. "Are you all happy now?" Sam looked at the shocked faces of his friends. Quinn cringed in her chair and Kurt sat with his moth agape. Sam couldn't bear to look at Mercedes. He rushed the door and down the hall. Sam wasn't sure where he was headed but he just kept his feet moving for fear he would collapse if he didn't. There was nothing but anger fueling him at this point.

Sam walked through the school, then the parking lot, then through the 3-mile-long stretch of highway to the motel. He would've probably been crying if he had the energy to. The burst through the motel door was the breaking point where he finally gave in. He stood there looking around the tiny motel room with what was left of his belongings. The silence made him come to terms with his situation exactly. Sam was alone. No one was there to hold him or help him. It was him and his thoughts for once in a long time.

He sat down on the dingy carpet of the hotel room and brought his knees to his chest. Not even taking off his shoes he hugged himself as the sobs shook him completely and utterly petrifying him. All he ever wanted was to make something for himself at McKinley and the odds have never been stacked against him so high.

* * *

 _Baby Don't Hurt Me_

It was four o'clock when the sound of children's laughter awoke Sam. His brother and sister were home, and he realized he had been asleep ever since he came home. While rubbing the sleep out of his eyes he hurried to the door to open it. The two blonde Evans children clung to his legs, their after-school greeting. Sam couldn't help but smile, even though the situation at hand haunted him. "Hey monkeys, how was school today?" Stevie cracked a one-toothed smile while Stacy ran to the T.V. to watch her show. "It was good! So we were sitting at lunch and then I discovered we were having pizza! SO then I…" Sam nodded and smiled, picking him up by the legs and bringing him in from the porch so he could close the door. He missed these monkeys when they were gone.

Not long after Stacy's show was over that he was trying to persuade her into taking her afternoon nap. She was a complete grouch when she didn't get one. "C'mon, I promise the T.V. will still be here when you wake up." Stacy pouted and stuck her head under the pillow. Progress. Shortly then interrupted by a knock on the motel door. Sam's eyebrows furrowed as he made his way to the peep hole. What in the hell…

He opened the door to Finn and Rachel staring at him with wide- guilt filled eyes. There aren't words better to describe Sam's feelings better than _pissed the fuck off._ "Um… I'm trying to get my sister to sleep, soooo…" He went to slam the door faster than he opened it, but Finn's mega-hulk hand jammed in the way before he could. "Dude, come on. Please, please."

The day dragged and dragged with Finn and Rachel's abrupt visit, but it made him feel a hell of a lot better.

Sam was sitting outside enjoying the breeze of a mid-spring night. He was too discontented to reach out to Mercedes personally after the whole episode at practice. He understood that she was hurting but he was, too. He took his face into his hands and breathed in deeply, waiting for some sort of sign from the universe for him to tempt fate and send her a long, drawn out paragraph explaining why he had lied to her from the beginning. In all honesty, they were both in the wrong.

While deep in thought, Sam's phone went off. The unusual ring at this time of night wasn't something to ignore. He picked it up adjusting his eyes to the bright screen. Sam saw Mercedes' picture lighting up on his face. A second of hesitation and panic set in. He had no idea what he was going to say… Still…

"Hello? Mercedes?" He said her name like a blind man looking for the light. "Sam…Hi." As soon as he heard her voice he was overflowing with relief. That was the signature sweet voice of one of his best friends, Miss Mercedes Forgiveness Jones. "I… hi. Mercedes, I've been sitting here all-night thinking of what to say." The word vomit didn't end in glee club today, apparently. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you the truth from the beginning. I should've known better than that." Mercedes breath caught on the other end of the line. "Sam, stop. You're being crazy. I'm the one who should be apologizing here. You are going through the **hardest** time of your life right now and we all made it about ourselves." Sam froze, trying to make sense of everything she was saying. "If they won't say it, then I sure as hell will. We all should've been there helping you Sam. I'm really sorry that you thought you had to keep it a secret from us." Sam's eyes welled up at the sound of her soft voice. It made him feel so warm, like he had no reason to fear at all. "Mercedes… I don't know what to say." He caught his breath over and over, trying to hold back the sobs that were shaking him earlier. "It's okay, you don't have to say anything or accept the apology. I just needed you to hear it." The one and only Mercedes Jones, expert at making Sam Evans cry with more happiness than he could imagine. "Of course, I accept your apology Mercedes. Thank you." He smiled through his tears, making his phone stick to the side of his face. He sniffled and brought his sleeve to his eyes. "I really missed you." Sam heard her chuckle on her end of the line. "I missed you too Sam Evans." He smiled even wider.

* * *

 _Wow I really loved writing this chapter. This story-line was heartbreaking and the writers did it no justice, as usual. Sam's homelessness shows it's awful teeth._


End file.
